“No! Hans. It’s a duel!”
Amie will try to tackle Hans to at least make the ray miss( or stop him from casting all together. My Initiative is higher.)
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“No! Hans. It’s a duel!”
Amie will try to tackle Hans to at least make the ray miss( or stop him from casting all together. My Initiative is higher.)
You'll need to make a touch attack, then a Grapple check, which is 1d20 plus your CMB, which in your case is +4. The DC is 15 plus Hans' CMB, which is +1, so DC 16.
Touch Attack. Wasn't sure if I should be adding something to this.
"I'm sorry Hans but this is something Tate needs to do alone. Don't you see? Tate released him for this. This is about a warior's honor. It would be an insult to help."
Amie will let Hans go.
"Please, just watch. We can act if Tate asks for it."
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"
Tate looks the hobgoblin in the eyes. He speaks quietly to it.
** spoiler omitted **
Check to break the grapple, if that should become necessary.
Using just a regular opposed grapple to break his hold, this would not succeed, since the DC is 23 (15 + his CMB + 2 Improved Grapple). However, I was looking at the Escape Artist skill, and the DC for that is only 10 + his CMB + 2 Improved Grapple, for a DC of 18, and it can be used untrained, allowing you to use your Dex bonus rather than your CMB to break free. So that will succeed. You're still grappled but no longer pinned, and to get totally free, he'll have to fail a grapple check and you'll have to succeed at another Escape Artist check.
Diplomacy check :)
1d20+9=28[/i]
That's good enough. You feel the knife pull away from your throat, and his grip relaxes a bit (allowing you to break the pin, as noted above). "Hmmm, this interesting offer. Me not really want to go back anyway. No latrine, camp is stinky! Besides, we fail, so Wyrmlord will kill me anyway. You tell you's friends to stay back and not hurt Johnny (, especially that elf-kin with big dog, she got a look in her eye! Look, even now she try to kill my Lieutenant! Me hope she succeeds, he A-hole! You's friends not hurt me, and we discuss service. Me can lead you to camp."
Tate stands up, and helps the wounded hobgoblin to its feet. He looks to those around him, and holds his hands out to stop them. He quickly wipes the blood from his blade, and sheathes his wicked knife.
"Stay put. Don't do anything to make me regret this, and let me do the speaking."
Tate passes Johnny's bow and arrows to him.
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Okay, a note on how to change Johnny's alignment so that Tate can get him as a cohort when he gains a level, for those of you who do not have the Book of Exalted Deeds.
Chapter 2 of that book speaks about the process of Redemption. Redemption is a process that needs to be roleplayed. The way it works is that a designated "sponsor" will talk with Johnny once a day, for as many days as it takes for it to work. The sponsor must be of good alignment, but it does not have to be Tate. The sponsor should have a good Diplomacy score. After each talk, the sponsor will roll a Diplomacy check, and Johnny will roll a special Will save (Will + CL) against a DC equal to the Diplomacy check. If he fails seven in a row, the "good/evil" axis of his alignment will change from Evil to Neutral (another seven consecutive successes will be needed to change him from Neutral to Good).
If a Cleric casts "Vision of Heaven" on him, it will allow him to glimpse and briefly experience the spiritual rewards of a life in pursuit of goodness. This will give him a -1 to his Will save each time, as it makes part of him want to change. There are other factors that may come into play, depending on when and where you do this, that may further penalize his Will save (thus making it easier for you to convince him that he should be Good) and even reduce the number of successive rolls you need to make to accomplish the change.
Since Clerics have access to all available cleric spells, then both Sevegny and Amie have access to "Vision of Heaven," which is a 1st Level spell. If either of you do not have the Book of Exalted Deeds (not a Pathfinder book, just regular D&D 3.5), let me know and I can post the specifics of the spell.
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The hobgoblin eyes Tate warily, then shows him the "knife" he had held to your throat. It was just a broken arrowhead. "No poison, me was bluffing you. Wetness you felt was just me's own blood wiped on blade."
Now that you have him out of the shade of the trees and in the open light, you can get a better look at him. His skin has a slightly scaly appearance, similar to Diego's, though the color is slightly different. Though the color of his scales is still hard to determine, due to the dark natural hue of his skin, the sheen appears more Metallic than Chromatic.
Hans scratches his head. "You guys are crazy...you're all crazy! If you want to drag that gobbo along with us, let it be on your head! At any rate, let's get moving. We've wasted enough time here."
Amie looks at Hans and bows slightly, “I’m sorry Hans. I hope I did not hurt you. I agree with you, we should be leaving soon. However Coraline is still handling the leader. We should at least wait for her.” She turns from him and walks slowly to Tate.
“I hope you are sure of this,” she tells him in Elven before turning to the hob. She draws her bow and holds it out for him to look at.
“This is my Longbow,” she speaks plainly to him and sternly. “You wield one as well. They are powerful tools given to us by the great Lord Erastil. He gave them to us to hunt for food and protect our families. For me, it more than a tool, it is a symbol of Erastil and by him a can do great things with it. I am Amie Stargazer, servant of Erastil. What is your name?”
Red Feather had been lying under a tree, whistling a melody he was composing to himself, when Tates party reappears with the Hobgoblin in tow. He briefly looks at the motley crew, starts for a moment at the seemed nonchalance of the Hobgoblins approach, then simply shakes his head and resumes his rest.
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Vision of Heaven
Enchantment [Mind-Affecting]
Level: Apostle of Peace 1, Cleric 1, Celestial 1, Exalted Arcanist 1, Joy 1, Slayer of Domiel 1
Components: V
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target: One evil creature
Duration: 1 round
Saving Throw:Will negates
Spell Resistance: Yes
Your words allow the target creature the merest glimpse of the blessed joy of the Seven Heavens, spurring the target to a moment of regret for its evil deeds. For 1 round, the target is dazed. In addition, the creature is more susceptible to future redemption. For the next 24 hours, the creature takes a –1 penalty on all Will saves related to redemption (see Chapter 2, Book of Exalted Deeds).
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Coraline releases the bonds on the lietenant, then waits patiently for it to don its armor and weapons. Since its magical armor has already been claimed, it will instead just put on one of the suits of regular studded chainmail. It picks up one of the glaives.
Once it is ready, Coraline lunges at the creature, her blades whirling furiously. Inigo Relámpago finds its mark twice, but the hobgoblin just ducks out of the way of the other rapier. Inigo Relámpago finds its mark twice, but the hobgoblin just ducks out of the way of the other rapier, for 15 damage with the first attack (5 of which is electrical) and 10 with the second (1 electrical).
The hobgoblin grunts against the pain, then spins, slicing its glaive at Coraline, but she nimbly steps away from the attack.
Again, Coraline brings her whirling blades to bear, sparks flying off the charged blade of Inigo Relámpago, this time connecting with all three attacks, for 13 (3 electrical), 16 (5 electrical) and 9 altogether.
The Lieutenant falls, not quite dead, but bleeding his life away. Assuming nobody wants to drag this out further and bring him up again, he'll die in seven rounds.
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While you gather up all your acquired loot, Amaranth draws you a map to the Manor. It is on the other side of Drellin's Ferry, about a day's walk (less, if you're on horseback), and nestled in a clearing in the shallow woods.
Do you guys go straight to the Manor, or make a detour to Drellin's Ferry first?
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The trip to the Manor is about 40 miles through the woods. A well-worn road traverses the forest, and you see small shacks and sheds periodically scattered along the way, mostly belonging to local woodsmen and hunters. Finally, you come in sight of the Manor.
The old two-story house looms like a thing forgotten on a low hilltop, surrounded by trees and an iron fence. Wicked spearheads top the bars of the fence, though a layer of rust has built up after years of non-use. Vines and moss adorn both the fence and the house.
The house is made of solid stone, with two towers at the front corners, and a widow's walk at the center. Stone gargoyles leer down from the towers' parapets. A sickly green light glows from the upper window of the rightmost tower, and a ghostly moaning sound floats down the hillside. Despite the spring weather, the trees around this area seem strangely listless and unhealthy, as if the life is being drained from the land. Tall, dry weeds clog the trail that leads to the gated fence.
Amie
"Brrr...give me the outdoors any day!" Hans chirps. "Maybe I can ask some of the local critters what they've seen lately."
Hans mutters a little spell, and then looks for a local animal to speak with.
<<Hello, friend! Do you know what big beasts might be living in that large cave?>>
Diego shudders at the moaning. "I always did hate loud real estate..."
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"Brrr...give me the outdoors any day!" Hans chirps. "Maybe I can ask some of the local critters what they've seen lately."
Hans mutters a little spell, and then looks for a local animal to speak with.
<<Hello, friend! Do you know what big beasts might be living in that large cave?>>
Oddly, there are remarkably few animals around. Even insects seem to avoid this area. However, cats are bolder than most other animals, so it comes as no surprise that you do manage to find one slinking around. It turns its head toward the hobgoblin, then speaks in a voice that is remarkably intelligent for an animal, "I have seen some like him, and other grey-skins but smaller. Also at least two other creatures larger than your grey-skin, both very foul-smelling, one that looks like the misbegotten son of a dog and a gorilla, and one that looks like the even more misbegotten son of a bull and a human. There are also shadow-air-people moving about the place. The grey-skins and their ilk have not noticed the shadow-air-people, but the shadow-air-people have noticed them and do not like them. The shadow-air-people say this is their home, but they cannot move the ugly things. There is also another. The shadow-air-people are sad for it. It looks like you, but smaller, with wings like a bird. But sometimes it is bigger. Sometimes it smells of kindness, and other times it smells of death and blood. Sometimes it smells like a dog-but-not-dog."
Hans lets out a low whistle: <<Sounds like a nasty bunch of characters. Where are these shadow-things, do you know? Above ground, below ground...?>>
Diego walks a few feet away from the group and casts Mage Armor on himself, then stares at the building, watching it carefully.
Perception: 1d20+13=18
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Hans lets out a low whistle: <<Sounds like a nasty bunch of characters. Where are these shadow-things, do you know? Above ground, below ground...?>>
"Inside the house. One goes below the ground in the house, but there is a room it will not enter. The others do not go below the ground. One is afraid of the water hole outside the house. And another is afraid of the room where large things with round feet are kept."
Amie looks up at the Manor form atop Ben’s back. “There is much grief in this place. Spirits of the dead have been known to reside here. The three shadow people our feline friend is referring to are most likely Lord Blackmoor and his family. Their story is quite tragic.” Amie dismounts and walks slowly to Hans and the cat, whispering something under her breath she kneels next to the cat.
“Do you know the names of the shadow people or the being they feel sad for. We might also be interested in finding that being. I have a bit of meat in my pack and I will gladly give some to you if you could lead us to the one whose scent changes.”
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Amie looks up at the Manor form atop Ben’s back. “There is much grief in this place. Spirits of the dead have been known to reside here. The three shadow people our feline friend is referring to are most likely Lord Blackmoor and his family. Their story is quite tragic.” Amie dismounts and walks slowly to Hans and the cat, whispering something under her breath she kneels next to the cat.
“Do you know the names of the shadow people or the being they feel sad for. We might also be interested in finding that being. I have a bit of meat in my pack and I will gladly give some to you if you could lead us to the one whose scent changes.”
Though its taste run more toward fresh meat than preserved meat, since prey is so scarce, it will gratefully accept the offering. "The shadow-air-people do not talk, at least not that I have heard, and the stinky ones do not see them so they do not speak to them, so I do not know what they are called. The one the shadow-air-people are sad for, the stinky ones sometimes talk to it and call it," the cat tries to contort its vocal chords to speak in a human tongue, "Yowrrla. They also call it another word, which they also call their female riding dogs, but I cannot form the word. They are mean to it, whipping it, hurting it. It wants to hurt them back, but magic keeps it docile, except when they make it hunt for them."
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Anyone who has Knowledge (Religion), Knowledge (History) or Knowledge (Nature), give me a Knowledge roll. If you have more than one of those, add +2 for each applicable knowledge that you have to your roll. Red Feather can also add his Bardic Knowledge bonus (half his level) to the roll.
Tate and Coraline (and anyone else who speaks Goblinoid)
K: Nature
1d20+6=16
Red Feather listens intently trying to figure out what is being translated.
But he is not real comfortable or confident with animal communication.
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Red Feather listens intently trying to figure out what is being translated.
But he is not real comfortable or confident with animal communication.
Actually, if you want to change that to a Knowledge (History) roll, add +8 to that roll, because now that I think about it, Knowledge (History) would also apply, and you've got +13 in that. So the +9 you already applied, +4 to bring it up to your normal +13 in that skill, +4 because you are trained in both of the other applicable Knowledges. So that'll make your total roll a 21.
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K: Nature
1d20+6=16
Hans
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Red Feather listens intently trying to figure out what is being translated.
But he is not real comfortable or confident with animal communication.
Red Feather
"Perhaps master Calumbrust, Johnny and I should go in first, with weapons ready. We should move slowly, and carry light. Things that hide do not do so well in changing light. By the way, Yalla is a goblin name. This most helpful animal mentioned a creature with wings. Is that the same one we seek?"
Shadow air people.
1d20+8=13
Stinky ones.
1d20+8=11
Gorilla hybrid.
1d20+8=9
Man-bull.
1d20+8=9
Could be worse. I think. Maybe.
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Knowledge roll Religion +8 +2 (history) + 2 (nature) + d20 = 30.
There were some rare cases, however, where the original females of the tribe were able to find mates from other races (though never from the fey race to which they originally belonged). In those rare instances, the male offspring rarely survived, but the female offspring were strangely born genetically the same race as their mothers, rather than as a hybrid of two races. The mutations were also passed on. No such child has been seen in millenia, unless they have been in hiding. Once the goblins began to breed true, they hunted their more comely counterparts to extinction, then created the story of the Barghests to cover their true origins.
If the winged "gnome" with the goblin name is indeed one of those exceedingly rare offspring, then the goblins (and by extension, the hobgoblins) would kill her on sight - their place in goblinoid society is heavily contingent upon their mythology of their origins, and the presence of a creature that could give the lie to their myths would be anathema to the race - so if that is what she is, then it is likely that her captors don't know what they have their hands on.
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"Perhaps master Calumbrust, Johnny and I should go in first, with weapons ready. We should move slowly, and carry light. Things that hide do not do so well in changing light. By the way, Yalla is a goblin name. This most helpful animal mentioned a creature with wings. Is that the same one we seek?"
Wow, those are pretty crappy rolls! Fortunately, for common creatures, it's usually only a DC 5.
you guess an experiment to combine a human and a catablepas
Amie begins to ponder things over in her mind as she watches the cat eat the bit of meat she gave to it.
“Yowrrla,” she mutters to herself, “that must be Yalla, but with wings? That can’t be right. Hmmm, a gnome with wings… unless…”
Amie’s eyes widen a bit suddenly and the color darkens quickly as the realization hits her.
“We must rescue her immediately,” she says suddenly. “It would take to long to explain but I don’t think Yalla is a gnome, though she might have a very good reason to pretend to be one. Either way she is in grave danger and time is of the up most essence.”
She then turns back to the cat. “They one with wings, its Yalla, that’s her name, right. I will give the rest of my meat if you can lead us to where they are keeping her. I can try to get more for you too. My friend has more in his pack or I will try and hunt you a bird or get you a fish, but we must get to her quickly.”
Amie is going look around to see if there is an Oak tree in the immediate vicinity.
you guess an experiment to combine a human and a catablepas
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She then turns back to the cat. “They one with wings, its Yalla, that’s her name, right. I will give the rest of my meat if you can lead us to where they are keeping her. I can try to get more for you too. My friend has more in his pack or I will try and hunt you a bird or get you a fish, but we must get to her quickly.”
"I know of a way through that the stinky ones and the grey ones cannot see, at the bottom of the water hole, but I think you are too large to fit through it. Even he," looking toward Hans, "might be too large for it. I know how to reach her through the inside, too, but if you are not small and quiet like me, the ugly ones will see you."
Amie is going look around to see if there is an Oak tree in the immediate vicinity.
No need. There are some oaks about.
Amie’s eyes begin to swirl tones of brown and she begins thinking. She looks at each of her companions in turn and then walks quickly over to a large nearby oak. Placing her palm on the tree she closes her eyes for a moment and whispers.
Amie then walks back to the group. “I think I have an idea. Hans, you walk the path of nature, correct? I have met others like you. Lady Amaranth was able to take the form of that bear. Are you able to take smaller forms, perhaps the size of our feline friend here?”
"Unfortunately, milady, you see me at my smallest size. I could, however, take the form of an eagle or a dog. Are you suggesting some sort of infiltration?"
“Are any of your animal forms the same size of our feline friend here, Hans? If so I think it would be best if he leads you to Yalla the secret way while the rest of us create a kind of diversion in side the manor. Once you get to her, you can release her and either sneak out or perhaps you can release the binding on her magic and you can join the fight.”