There is a fair bit of cover in the approach to the south end of the lower section. By day it seems enough to allow you to use stealth and while you are stealthing any watcher would be taking a -1 penalty for each ten feet of distance. By night you think it would be difficult for anything not already in the lower section to spot you.
The path up the hill was built for defense and as you can see from the map the hill itself is very steep. You would be looking at multiple DC25 climb checks to ascend depending on your point of ascent (with circumstance penalties at night for everyone bar Grall). Of course you could just walk up the path itself without difficulty.
Male HP(104/104 or 125*/125*) Gnoll Barbarian 7 - Invulnerable Rager
What about skirting the east cliff facing so we can't be seen and until we get to that first building? Looks like the cliff drop off at that building. We could try to make our way in and then possbly get a view on the gatehouse?
Not 100% sure I know what you mean, but I assume its head north until you hit the cliff and work your way east til you hit the building at 43,aq. If it were day you might be seen from the hill unless you succesfully stealth. At night you think you would be unlikely to be seen unless something was actually standing on the lower segment of the path looking in your direction. Once at the cliff face you would be out of LOS except to something standing at the top looking over.
Assuming you want to get to the lower river section of town, the safest way seems to be stealthing in along the river using the vegetation on the edge.
Female Halfling Barbarian (superstitious) 7 | hp 72/72 (86/86 raging)
DM Dan E wrote:
The screams continue for a good ten minutes before growing steadily weaker and after another minute they cease. You fancy you can hear yapping laughter carried on the wind.
Its about 5:30pm and sunset is about an hour off when the next patrol returns, another 5 gnolls. You have a much better view of their progress this time and you watch as they emerge onto the path by the guild hall and wind their way down the hill. This time the lead gnoll is carrying a large canvas sack slung over a muscled shoulder.
The gnolls stop at the gatehouse, the sack carrier ducking inside the intact portion for thirty seconds or so and then coming back out, sack seemingly empty.
The gnolls continue up the path past the inn, getting as far as the bridge, as you saw before, before retracing their route (sans the gatehouse stop).
Nuveril listens to the screams with a stoic frown. When they finally die away, she performs another of her rituals, touching her head and then the ground with two fingers.
When the evening patrol appears, she watches with a keen eye on the canvas sack. When the sack reappears empty outside the gatehouse, she leans over and whispers, "Meat? From whatever creature they just killed? And what's in the gatehouse? How many gnolls would a sack of meat that size feed?"
Nuveril is fine with along the river. Whatever gets her in close enough to kill some gnolls. :)
You go in along the river, Grall in front checking the route carefully with his darkvision, Linah behind. A few scorpions skitter away at your approach but they are the only creatures you see by the time you make the ruined buildings south east of town.41,bg
Grall again looks around with his darkvision but sees nothing. You move carefully across the path, sheltering in the middle ruins while you scope out your ambush position.
35,ax
You can hear faint sounds coming from the direction of the battle market, yapping laughter, cheers as well as cries of pain.
Here admidst the ruined buildings your vision is restricted, but Khalid, Grall and Nuveril manage to spot a soft but steady light coming from a southern window of the tannery. From this close up you can also see that the buildings across the street looks mostly whole although no lights issue from within.
Time passes. You noted that during the day the patrols came at more or less 3 hourly intervals, but after four there is no sign of the next.9:30pm.
Then both Sajan and Arjun hear something else. Something wrong sounding. It seems to come from the mid section, perhaps the section near the guild hall building. A half bleating-half wheezing, it sounds like nothing that ever issued from a humanoid throat.
I'm going to show the sections of the town you've checked with an annoted map.
If your gauging correctly it seems to be coming from the upper section (up and beyond the gatehouse). Its a fair way up. You'd need to walk around up the path unless the source came into view. To clarify, you didn't hear the sound for the two hours or so you've been waiting. It seems to be moving.
The gnoll went into the building marked gatehouse on your map, just over to the west of your current location. To clarify, from the lower level you cannot see what is going on on top of the hill, the hill itself is blocking your view, although you can see the top of the battle market poking out the top. You saw the patrol when it passed the guildhall and watched it come down the path past where you currently are.
Hold on I'll mark that on the annotated map as well.
You ignore the distant noise for now, and Grall moves carefully but easily with his darkvision back across the path heading for the gap between the buildings. Khalid follows a little way back and the rest of the group back behind him. For those relying on more mundane senses there is enough moonlight to see but plenty of patches of darkness admidst the brick buildings and ruins.
As Grall gets closer he sees that both buildings are blackened by fire, the southern building appears to be mostly a shell, the roof resting precariously on partially collapsed walls. The northern is less damaged, and looks more or less structurally sound. An old ruined sign bearing the legend “—AVE MARKET” in Kelshite hangs above a gaping entrance in the south wall.
Both Grall and Khalid are on alert, senses fully extended for danger, and both react almost instantaneously as a shadow from just within the entrance moves.. uncoiling ... and uncoiling some more. An enormous black head comes darting forward, large green eyes fixed firmly on the gnoll....
Notes
-Creature is large sized but has 5' reach.
-I make Khalid fifteen feet back from Grall and the others thirty feet back from Khalid. Will have map up tonight (although you may not feel like you need one).
- Dim light conditions provide concealment and create a 20% miss chance for those without darkvision. Please roll with your attack.
- I am assuming you have your weapons out and ready.
Linah's action will most likely be to cast Light to remove the miss chance, but before i do that i would just like to ask how secluded is the "battle scene". Does Linah suspect that a light source here would be like a shining beacon to anyone watching from the rest of the village? I just want to get a sense of the kind of risk she would think lighting a torch would be.
I have the rest of the group basically just off that north-south path running between the buildings with Khalid and Grall in between the two buildings in question. Your basically lighting a torch. The light will be noticeable to anyone looking your way with unobstructed LOS. That will include anyone looking down from the edge of the hill or the guardhouse. Such a person might not actually see you but the light would be pretty easy to spot from above. At a ground level the mess of buildings to the west and east would likely block LOS from those directions.
Linah runs towards the snake and draws her scimitar, but stops when she realises that she is not fast enough to hinder the beast to strike out against her companions. She extends her palm ready to release a burst of healing energy should the giant mamba's attack be successful.
Move action to 20ft closer to the mamba, taking care not to block any potential charge paths. Drawing my scimitar as part of the move action. Standard action to ready a Channel positive energy action (excluding the snake) should the snake deal damage any one of us: 1d6 ⇒ 2
Male Vishkanya Swashbuckler (Inspired Blade) 11 -- HP 123 : AC 26 CMD 26 TAC 20 FAC 17 : F+8 R+15 W+5 : INIT+8 Perception+16
Sorry, I changed my mind and forgot to amend the post. I am targeting a specific square to avoid hitting other party members. It should deal splash damage instead of a direct hit, so only 5 fire damage.
I think point blank shot damage applies to the main bomb damage portion rather than the splash (and most of the time this will be better for you as its not subject to the reflex roll). Am I missing a ruling on this?
HP -12/64, AC 19/18/16 CMD 29, Speed 50 feet, F +8, R +8, W +11, P +12, In +4, AOO +12, EF 6/6, Ki 9/9
Yes- no point blank bonus on splash. Also, can we assume Sajan is up with Khalid just behind Grall next time, his few skill points are used in a scouting role so its odd for him to be in the middle.
Round 1 Action, Init 12.
Assuming I can charge- if not please just double move me to a position where I can charge next round.
Sajan surges forward with a high kick aimed at the snake, seeking to dispatch it swiftly.
Yes- no point blank bonus on splash. Also, can we assume Sajan is up with Khalid just behind Grall next time, his few skill points are used in a scouting role so its odd for him to be in the middle.
Round 1 Action, Init 12.
Assuming I can charge- if not please just double move me to a position where I can charge next round.
Sajan surges forward with a high kick aimed at the snake, seeking to dispatch it swiftly.
1d20+9
1d6+4
Fine. Please make me a miss roll (or I'll do it with the update).
Male Vishkanya Swashbuckler (Inspired Blade) 11 -- HP 123 : AC 26 CMD 26 TAC 20 FAC 17 : F+8 R+15 W+5 : INIT+8 Perception+16
Would the miss roll due to darkness be affected by the light from Arjun's fire bombs? I figure an enemy on fire would be easy to hit regardless of lighting conditions.
Would the miss roll due to darkness be affected by the light from Arjun's fire bombs? I figure an enemy on fire would be easy to hit regardless of lighting conditions.
One of those ones where there isn't a huge amount of help from the rules. However, I would think not unless the bomb combusted some other adjacent material (ie started a fire). The target isn't technically on fire unless the effect says it is. The bomb hits or splashes it and it take the fire damage. So you get a noise and a flash of light but no ongoing effect.
Linah runs towards the snake and draws her scimitar, but stops when she realises that she is not fast enough to hinder the beast to strike out against her companions. She extends her palm ready to release a burst of healing energy should the giant mamba's attack be successful.
Move action to 20ft closer to the mamba, taking care not to block any potential charge paths. Drawing my scimitar as part of the move action. Standard action to ready a Channel positive energy action (excluding the snake) should the snake deal damage any one of us: 1d6
Just a note on this one as well. Strictly speaking, the readied action goes off before the condition that triggers it. That makes it impossible to use a readied action to heal damage not yet dealt (heal goes off but has nothing to heal right before the damage is dealt). This works as a delay and I'll treat it as such unless you want to change.
Edit: Sorry for the negatives. Just calling them the way I see them. I'm not out to get you I promise... well at least with my interpretation of the rules :)
Just a note on this one as well. Strictly speaking, the readied action goes off before the condition that triggers it. That makes it impossible to use a readied action to heal damage not yet dealt (heal goes off but has nothing to heal right before the damage is dealt). This works as a delay and I'll treat it as such unless you want to change.
Edit: Sorry for the negatives. Just calling them the way I see them. I'm not out to get you I promise... well at least with my interpretation of the rules :)
D'oh! But as i look at the initiative it doesn't matter since i'm after the snake. My bad. I'll revise my posted action to use my standard to channel energy if the mamba hits, but if it misses i'll take another move action to get closer to the snake (as long as i can without blocking the way for Khalid, Sajan, Grall or Nuveril.
Is there any way to ready an action to heal damage that's been delt the same round?
Is there any way to ready an action to heal damage that's been delt the same round?
Heh I didn't even check your initiative order. In regards to the question, not that I'm aware of although a spell that prevents damage rather than heals it would work. So you could cast a readied resist fire in response to a enemy spellcaster casting fireball. Similarly, if Sajan and Khalid were standing within reach of you and had 10hp of damage from a previous round I would allow you to cast a readied cure light wounds in response to a creature attacking either of them.
As Alex says, delay to heal is the traditional response (at least when your actually going first).
Heh I didn't even check your initiative order. In regards to the question, not that I'm aware of although a spell that prevents damage rather than heals it would work. So you could cast a readied resist fire in response to a enemy spellcaster casting fireball. Similarly, if Sajan and Khalid were standing within reach of you and had 10hp of damage from a previous round I would allow you to cast a readied cure light wounds in response to a creature attacking either of them.
As Alex says, delay to heal is the traditional response (at least when your actually going first).
Ook, then i'll know until next time (although i have a crap memory, hopefully this will stick:)
Moving quickly, Arjun closes and flings a bomb at the snake, splashing it with fire.
1d20 + 5 ⇒ (6) + 5 = 11 fail 4 damage
Khalid moves to the side of the snake, thrusting out with Tempest but his aim is off and the scimitar fails to penetrate a scale.
Distracted from his intended target, the snake turns, launching a bite at Khalid, venom dripping from teeth a full six inches long. The strike is on target, the teeth penetrating through the inquisitor's armour and releasing a painful dose of poison. Agonizing pain rips through Khalid and it is all he can do to stay on his feet.
1d20 + 7 ⇒ (15) + 7 = 221d6 + 8 ⇒ (4) + 8 = 12 hit Fort save please
Linah moves up, keeping the group in range of her channel and emits a healing pulse soothing Khalid's injury. 2hp
Female Halfling Barbarian (superstitious) 7 | hp 72/72 (86/86 raging)
Nuveril growls in frustration as Khalid steps into her path to the snake. I assume those are walls on either side of the mamba so we can't maneuver around behind it? She rushes up but can't get past her ally to attack; instead, she is left hopping back and forth in frustration, looking for an opening. Move to T4. I don't know if the lighting conditions are sufficient for her to get a good look at the snake to try to identify it; I'll include a Perception check. Perception1d20 + 5 ⇒ (19) + 5 = 24Knowledge (nature)1d20 + 5 ⇒ (19) + 5 = 24
Wow, way to waste two 19's when she's not attacking. :P
Male HP(104/104 or 125*/125*) Gnoll Barbarian 7 - Invulnerable Rager
Grall will move to R9 in a round a bout way so to not draw the AOO but get the flank on the large creature and then go into rage. I also benefit from the healing, I am currently 3 hp's down, now 1 from the previous fight.
I'll make Khalid's fort save(s) against the poison.
Fort #1 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6 Fail 1d2 ⇒ 1 con damage
Fort #2 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (9) + 4 = 13 Fail 1d2 ⇒ 2 con damage
Khalid falls to the snakes poison and weariness starts to spread through his body. He swings again at the snake but his vision is starting to go blurry and he misses.
Arjun is up. -4 to hit for adjacent party members although with a move you should be able to avoid cover penalties as well.
Four more potential rounds of con loss for Khalid. Please roll fort with your action next round.
Edit:It occurs to me that Khalid may have just forgot about the poison when he declared his round 2 action. I'll allow you to change your attack to a withdraw to Linah if so.
Arjun's bomb is on target and shards of ice pierce the creature's skin although it seems to shrug off the slowing effect. I think you do get the +1 damage from point blank shot this time :)
Fort save 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (20) + 9 = 29 pass
I'll let Khalid declare whether he is changing his action before the snake attacks...
