DM Cayzle - A Sign Of Things To Come Monday January 11th, 2010 12:28:49 PM
Jet doubles the watch and instills a sense of urgency. Keela wonders if they should warn the folk of the settlement -- although between the Ahote's arrival and quick departure, as well as the extra guards, rumors of danger are already swirling.
Alexi has an interesting idea -- a partial evacuation of noncombatants. "I think we should give real thought to this proposal," says Garth, speaking privately with you three at night after the Ahote have left. "But what are the pros and cons? Thoughts?"
"I don't think we should just let everyone decide willy nilly for themselves. Chaos and panic will follow, and make defense impossible."
Then Dwain enters the meeting. He does not acknowledge Jet, but is otherwise calm. "Okay," he says. "The priest convinced me. The entire community is in danger. We've done all we can to secure the mine from below. The break is sealed off. Now what about the topside?"
Garth explains the upper defenses, and Alexi reports that one tower is done. Dwain volunteers the dwarves to reinforce it and finish the others, tomorrow. The decision is made to evacuate the non-combatants or not -- DM OOC: Dwain and Garth will agree with whatever two of you say.
In fact, tomorrow the entire community gathers, and Garth says simply, "There is a threat. A serious one. But we don't know from where or whom." Garth is about to say more when there is a shout, and a hand points to the sky.
You see a round red sphere floating in the air far above you. Maybe it is relatively small and only a few hundred feat away. Maybe it is much larger, and several thousand feet in the air. To a modern eye, used to aircraft and blimps and hot air balloons, this would be nothing remarkable. But to a resident of this settlement, this place, this time, it could only be a work of great magic surpassing that of a flying carpet, for example, especially since there are creatures riding in a basket underneath, and they are looking at you.
Jet Stormway (AC:22 HP:36/36 ; Bantom AC:19 HP:42/42) Monday January 11th, 2010 1:38:50 PM
"Ah turds in the hot sun, this isn't good." Jet thinks as the Ambush Drakes come back to mind and whatever could have spawned such things. The fact Jet might need to apologize to the dwarves chokes his throat a bit, but then he decides, he was still right, they were still hiding something from everyone and if they had come clean to start, the suspicion wouldn't have been so strongly placed upon them. Screw the dwarves!
"We need to start putting water on all the buildings, so they might survive the coming fire. Let's get the noncombatants in the mine for now, in case that thing and what it's carrying are the true enemies of Bryn Baraz."
Alexi (AC: 20, HP:34/34) Lobo (AC: 19, HP:37/37) Monday January 11th, 2010 6:03:03 PM
"Agreed," says Alexi to Jet's plan. "We can have a detatchment guarding the sealed part of the cave just in case something even makes a peep on the other side. The rest of the warriors and militia, spread them out throughout the buildings. Have one detachment of the Security with each group of militia. I don't want any inexperienced militia standing in battle alone. The temple can be our headquarters, as that's where our healers are."
Then Alexi tells two militiamen to go to the stables to get Lobo and Bantom saddled and ready, then he hurries to the barracks and donns the rest of his weapons. Fully armed and armored, he then rushes to the stabels and heads back out to the middle of the complex leading Bantom for Jet.
Keela d20+10=13 ; Monday January 11th, 2010 11:37:13 PM
"Some of the men will want to stay and fight for all they have worked for," Keela says. "If that is the case, I think we should allow them. I do think we should be sure to evacuate all the children, and enough adults to care for them properly."
As the preparations go forward, she assists in any way she can.
She is astonished (and a little disturbed) when the magic orb appears in the sky. Her mentor had covered flying magicks, briefly, but she recalls nothing like this. [Knowledge Arcana 13] She stares up at it, uncertain whether to attack it or try to flee.
DM Cayzle - No Attack This Day Tuesday January 12th, 2010 1:12:55 PM
The flying red orb floats on its course, and no attack is launched from the flying object. That does not mean the folk of the settlement remain undisturbed. In fact, the atmosphere borders on panic.
Jet anticipates fire, and urges the buildings to be prepped. For today, that does not matter. He urges the non-combatants to head for the safety of the mines.
Alexi agrees and also wants a guard in the mine itself, just in case. He mounts up for a fight that does not come today.
Keela helps out with getting people into the mines. Her magic knowledge helps her little.
What actions do you take this day, following the sighting of the flying orb?
Jet Stormway (AC:22 HP:36/36 ; Bantom AC:19 HP:42/42) Tuesday January 12th, 2010 1:58:55 PM
Jet is tired. He has done everything he can think of to keep everyone safe, even risking hard feelings with his community to see to the prosperity of strangers and others. Now, all there is time to do, is wait.
"You all know where to find me when it's time to die."
He is last seen going into Ma Bell's fine establishment. Even though the girls won't be there, he's going to drink himself just to the edge of having attack penalties and stay there as long as possible.
Alexi (AC: 20, HP:34/34) Lobo (AC: 19, HP:37/37) Tuesday January 12th, 2010 9:42:11 PM
OOC: What time of the day is it?
IC: "Well, this was a good excersize, at least," Alexi comments after nothing happens. Only then does he begin to wonder what the orb was. "Don't remember anything like that in the Dream," he mumbles. Had this occured at any other time, he would have just shrugged it off. However, he doubts he'll get another night's decent rest.
"Well," he tells the others, "if the attack is to come from the mine, something like this is sure to guarantee a good supply of helpless bodies for the enemy to attack. A diversion on the outside to send everyone to the inside."
Seeing Jet head to the empty Ma Belle's, Alexi gathers the work groups. "We need to finish these towers sooner than expected. To do that we'll need to work throughout the night. One work group will work 4 hours then get some rest, and another work group work the next 4 hours, and so on."
Alexi then asks Keela, "Could you organize the womenfolk in work groups to gather up food and supplies into barrels and crates so that an evacuation will go smoothly and only a matter of loading up the stuff on the wagons?"
Keela Tuesday January 12th, 2010 11:06:46 PM
"I can try," Keela replies to Alexi, "but you really want Senna for that kind of thing. I'll ask her about it."
True to her word, Keela asks her sister to organize the women and the foodstuffs.
Keela herself spends a great deal of time doing research in her very limited arcane library, trying to work out what that orb could be, and any possible means of countering it. She comes up empty.
She also consults Tarketh, to see whether the old druid has any words of wisdom about the orb.
DM Cayzle - Work Hard, Party Hard -- and Brace Yourselves! Wednesday January 13th, 2010 8:56:52 AM
The flying orb was sighted mid-morning. The settlement kicks into high gear as soon as Garth gets the crowd somewhat settled down. "Friends! Friends! We can't give into fear now! We have to work, and work hard, to ready our defenses!" His words get people calmed down and ready to work.
And in fact, urged on by Alexi -- with the enthusiastic support of Garth -- the entire town works through the night, except for some of the moms and kids, who are bunked down in a couple storerooms-cum-barracks under in the mines. A few dwarves stand watch down there two, and the rest, including Dwain, work mightily on the remaining towers.
Keela and her sister organize the support for the workers, and also get other folk to do the big job if evacuating to the mines. Soon several tunnels are filling up with stores of food and other household belongings.
Jet blows off some steam, and Mama Bella herself pours the wine. There's no one else in the place, though -- all the girls are off helping build towers, fetching and carrying as if their lives depended on it.
That night, Alexi and other builders work hard to finish the towers. Keela also finds time in the night. for some studying -- but alas, there is no hint of what this could be. The druid too is at a loss.
At dawn the next day, Alexi and Keela are tired, having slept only a few hours -- they grab a few more hours of sleep in the early sunshine. Now all the towers are up, and your defenses are as complete as they can be. Everything is quiet. Keela has time to study her spells -- please pick spells for the day.
========== ========== ==========
I'm assuming that you have the following resources in the entire village:
Garth: 7th level expert. Dwain: 4th level expert / 2nd level fighter. Durak: 5th level cleric. Tarketh: 3rd level druid. Six fighter 1 / expert 1 dwarves. 10 warrior 1 humans. 15 expert 1 humans who can fight. 15 other non-combatant humans, kids, etc. Former PCs - to remain in the background. Please let me know if I have missed anything!
(I will play all NPCs, but you can pick general strategy and position for them in the coming defense.)
Depending on how you allocate resources, we'll focus on part of the fight, not the whole thing. For example, if you three stay in the environ of one tower, and split your resources evenly, we'll assume that if you win, the other parts of the fight go well, and if you lose, the rest of the fight goes poorly.
Please post your own prep, and how you'd like to allocate the resources above in the coming fight.
Jet Stormway (AC:22 HP:36/36 ; Bantom AC:19 HP:42/42) Wednesday January 13th, 2010 5:47:32 PM
Jet wakes up in his bed, feeling much better after some rest. He gets up and starts his daily prayers wondering if these will be his last time to ask for spells. He goes down and checks with the others to see what the plan is and lets the others know what his ideas are.
All first level warriors and experts use melee weapons. Keep the dwarves in the mines as a reserve or flank force. We might need an element of surprise.
Magic Weapon, Protection from Evil, Detect Evil, Entropic Shield
Keela Wednesday January 13th, 2010 7:59:25 PM
Keela calms herself long enough to prepare her spells.
Today's Spells: 0 - Detect Magic 0 - Disrupt Undead 0 - Light 0 - Ray of Frost 1 - Color Spray 1 - Feather Fall 1 - Magic Missile 1 - Ray of Enfeeblement 2 - Scorching Ray 2 - Scorching Ray 2 - Web
After checking on her family, she joins her friends in discussing strategy.
"I think we should place ourselves centrally in the camp," she says. "That way we can move to any disturbance that the fighters seem unable to cope with."
Alexi (AC: 20, HP:34/34) Lobo (AC: 19, HP:37/37) Wednesday January 13th, 2010 10:05:02 PM
Alexi surveys the scene after a short, but deep nap. It was good to have a militia trained he smiles.
He asks Beren to take leadership of a squad of the archer militia and Caelnin another. He asks Mikal to organize groups of women and non-fighting men for the purpose of bringing the wounded to the temple.
OOC: assuming the Temple is the headquarters, but if the mine is the headquarters, then adjust to that.
IC: "We have no idea which way an attack will come from, so lets put our militia in groups with Security members (OOC: it was never said exactly how many Security members were hired, but we took turns scouting around every three days or so. I'd think their complement would be similar to our original group. ) and station them along the wall, with archers in the wall towers. We'll retreat to the Temple and Barracks if necessary."
Anrete and Ender can scout the game paths which the children found that lead into the compound in case something tries to sneak in that way.
Alexi keeps Lobo at the ready.
OOC: I'll update my CS to reflect the new stuff we just got.
DM Cayzle - The Invaders Arrive Thursday January 14th, 2010 6:45:35 AM
Jet suggests that the dwarves stay underground as a reserve force. He wants the majority of the weakest fighters (the 15 experts who can fight) to be equipped with melee.
Keela preps her spells and urges her friends to stay at the center for flexibility.
Alexi gets the militia (the 10 warriors with bows) set in towers. Everyone agrees to take the wounded to the temple, where the cleric and druid will be ready.
Keep in mind that, per the map, you have six towers, two inner ones (long ago finished) and four outer ones (just finished). Each tower offers a 40-ft elevation and improved cover. Up to 4 archers can stand and fight in each tower.
==========
You see the flying red orb has returned in the far distance -- maybe half a mile away. You see that four small flying devices are approaching. They are about 1,000 feet away when you see them. Each one is the size of a wagon. They are approaching at 200 feet per round, so they are five rounds away.
These smaller flying things are not orbs. They look, from so far away, sort of like birds with wings that do not flap.
I need from you:
-- Placement of forces. -- Four rounds of actions as the enemy advances.
I will have a better map up tonite. Until then, please refer to this one.
Jet Stormway (AC:22 HP:36/36 ; Bantom AC:19 HP:42/42) Thursday January 14th, 2010 10:20:56 AM
Jet wonders what it is they are here for? Why is Bryn Baraz being attacked? Jet doesn't feel bad about being wrong with the way the attack came about. He's glad the others got the towers finished in time as well. Just a bad set of clues leading him in the wrong direction.
He looks toward the dwarves and asks, not in an accusatory manner, "Why are they here? Is there something here that isn't elsewhere? That is what we need to protect, that and the noncombatants."
ooc: I meant missile weapons. Thanks for showing me that!
I think Garth should be giving the orders for this combat, unless he is relinquishing it to someone else. Jet is not stepping on his toes anyway.
Keela Thursday January 14th, 2010 7:46:37 PM
Keela's main concern is making sure there are at least four archers in each of the towers--or as many as possible, if there aren't that many archers in camp. She suggests designating townsfolk for a bucket brigade in case of fire, and makes sure there are plenty of buckets ready to hand.
When the enemy approaches, she pulls out her wand of Mage Armor and armors herself with it before tucking it away again. She draws her wand of Magic Missiles and positions herself with her companions--near the temple if possible, or wherever they decided to station themselves.
Alexi (AC: 20, HP:34/34) Lobo (AC: 19, HP:37/37) Thursday January 14th, 2010 10:10:31 PM
Alexi directs the archers such: 2 archers in towers A, B, C, D, with Beren in Tower B and Caelnin in Tower C. One archer in Towers E and F. Ender in Tower A and Anrete in Tower D.
That gives three missile people in each tower and gambling that the inner towers won't be the first to be attacked.
The 15 expert humans man the walls. Since the attack, we have to play it safe and assume it is an attack, is coming from the air, the gates don't need extra men to guard, but Alexi directs a group of non-combatants to block the gates with upturned wagons.
Have the bucket brigades equiped with blankets and towels as well.
Alexi stays beside Jet and Keela, bow at the ready, and Lobo standing at arm's length.
DM Cayzle - Map Late Thursday January 14th, 2010 10:50:50 PM
Sorry, I'll post it in the morning.
Ugh: I mean later in the day. Sorry!
DM Cayzle - Excuses, Excuses Friday January 15th, 2010 9:43:26 PM
I'm really sorry, friends. Real life intruded, and I had two great bouts of e-mail with two different people about where to take the new game after this one ends. But I did not get to the map or the turn. And gosh darn it, I had been doing so well with my posts. Well, tomorrow morning bright and early, I promise! Thanks for your understanding and patience.
Alexi (AC: 20, HP:34/34) Lobo (AC: 19, HP:37/37) Saturday January 16th, 2010 6:59:48 PM
OOC: no problem. You're doing great.
Jet Stormway (AC:22 HP:36/36 ; Bantom AC:19 HP:42/42) Monday January 18th, 2010 10:02:24 AM
Happy Monday.
DM Cayzle - Maps and Plans Monday January 18th, 2010 10:51:51 AM
First off, here is the base map on a five foot scale, showing the gates/palisades that were missing in the prior map.
DM Cayzle - Maps and Plans Monday January 18th, 2010 11:29:47 AM
Jet asks the dwarves what these invaders are after, and they snort at the obvious. "They want the mithril, of course, boy," says Dwain, before leading the dwarves underground.
The dwarves (except for the priest) are in the mine as a reserve. They are just inside, ready to be called out if needed.
Two clerics, the druid, and a number of noncombatants are in the temple, ready to help wounded or to fight fires.
Your best archers are in the towers, along with a few adventurers (NPCs). The militia is on the wall, also armed with bows.
Garth is with you, bow in hand, armored in a breastplate.
Please place yourselves on the map, and mention if you are mounted or not.
==========
As the enemy flies in, you see that they are in strange wooden birdlike machines, with a "body" and "head" under a pair of "wings." A small figure -- a halfling? -- is in the head of each machine. There are four humanoids in each body. The "body" and "head" are an open framework, so that the riders are exposed to the air, but the framework gives cover.
They travel towards you at a rate of 200 feet per round. Starting now, they are 600 feet, away, then 400, then 200, then 0, and they will act. If you want to make any attacks before they are 0 feet away, go ahead and roll. But you realize that it will be hard to hit them, given range and cover mods.
OOC: Yes, Garth is in command, but it would be a pretty dull fight if your DM were directing both the enemy and the party. Consider that in character Garth is giving orders, if you like, but in game, you all get to decide what to do.
Jet Stormway (AC:22 HP:36/36 ; Bantom AC:19 HP:42/42) Monday January 18th, 2010 3:41:16 PM
OOC: I'll buy that for a dollar! I need some time to study things. I will post for Jet tomorrow.
Unless someone mentions otherwise, we should stay near the Temple. If they are indeed after the mithril then they may just go for the mine. If that happens, we can flank them with the dwarves. If they don't go for the mine right away, they might be after Tarketh's relic. If this is the case, we can protect him and it and use the dwarves to flank them. As much as I hate to see it, I can't see the brothel as being the reason these guys are attacking, so if it goes up in smoke, it's not the priority.
That's my idea right now anyway? Anyone else have an idea?
Keela Monday January 18th, 2010 11:09:48 PM
Unless her friends have a better plan, Keela positions herself at about AN-35, holding her Wand of Magic Missiles.
"When they get close enough," she says, pointing the wand. "I'm going to fire a warning shot. I don't imagine one of these bitty things will seriously hurt anybody, but maybe it will warn them off."
[Ready an action to fire from the wand once the enemy closes to within 110 feet]
Alexi (AC: 20, HP:34/34) Lobo (AC: 19, HP:37/37) Tuesday January 19th, 2010 12:40:08 AM
OOC: whe know how far away the are, but how far off the ground? 600 ft away but how high up?
Alexi stations himself close to Keela (AN-32) and he is mounted on Lobo with bow ready. As long as Lobo doesn't move, his archery attacks will be normal.
IC: Alexi notices that the flying 'things' are not creatures, but wooden things carrying creatures. "Flying war machines? When you think you've seen it all..." He leans over to Keela. "If you must use that, aim at the one in front. If these war machines are like the ones one land, someone has to guide it. Knock him out, and the machine falters. In this case, taking one guide out will most likely doom the other riders as well. We'll aim at the same one for best effect."
Then he smiles. "If they fly over us, and are in range of your fire, those things are made of wood. A flying burning wooden machine won't fly far."
Round 1: Alexi spurs Lobo into a run (move 35ft x4) to the wall and instructs the archers to aim at the 'head' of the flying thing. That is, the creature in the front. He acutally has 35ft of movement to spare so he makes it a third way back to AN-32 this round.
Round 2: Alexi finishes returning to AN-32 with half a round of movement to spare (move 35ft x4). They are 400 feet away now. Are they descending or keeping their height? Alexi steadies Lobo and readies his bow.
DM Cayzle - Waiting? Tuesday January 19th, 2010 6:21:37 PM
I'll wait for Jet's extra post, or post early in the morning, whichever comes first. Or whichever I am awake for.
Jet Stormway (AC:22 HP:36/36 ; Bantom AC:19 HP:42/42) Tuesday January 19th, 2010 7:29:03 PM
ooc: Sorry guys. I put my boy cat down today. Not much feeling like playing right now.
Alexi (AC: 20, HP:34/34) Lobo (AC: 19, HP:37/37) Tuesday January 19th, 2010 8:06:00 PM
OOC: sorry about that. some years ago I had to put my cat down too. She was 20. It was sad but she had a long and happy life. So I know what you are going through.
Jonathan
DM Cayzle - Battle Begins d20=6 ; d20=3 ; d20=3 ; d20=17 ; d20=18 ; d20=14 ; d20=9 ; d20=1 ; d20=10 ; d20=14 ; d20=10 ; d20=14 ; d20=4 ; d20=9 ; d20=5 ; d20=12 ; d20=17 ; d20=16 ; d20=6 ; d20=16 ; d20=8 ; d20=16 ; d20=11 ; d20=17 ; d20=17 ; d20=10 ; d20=10 ; d20=10 ; d20=4 ; d20=17 ; d20=5 ; d8=1 ; d8=8 ; d20+2=21 ; d20+2=6 ; d20+2=6 ; d20+2=10 ; d20+2=14 ; d20+2=17 ; d8=6 ; d20+5=21 ; d20+5=22 ; d8+1=3 ; d8+1=5 ; d20+6=8 ; Wednesday January 20th, 2010 11:27:10 AM OOC Notes: The four flying war machines maintain an altitude of about 100 feet. If that affects your actions, feel free to repost. I had to guesstimate at the position of Jet, presumably mounted. He is next to Garth in front of the Temple.
Map Notes:On the map, friendly NPCs are squares. M = militia (experts). A = archers (fighters). G = Garth. Blue squares are former PCs. PCs are in yellow circles. The enemy are marked by triangles. The enemy bird-machines are large triangles, with the small triangle showing the pilot at the "head" of each "bird." Flying machines B and C are on the map, each about 80 feet up.
NPC Notes:HELP! I need the stats on the militia and on the archers. Armor? Short Bows? Long Bows? Please be reasonable as to what the community could have. Platemail and masterwork longbows are right out. I'm thinking leather armor and longbows, although given the involvement of the dwarves, a chain shirts for the archers are not unreasonable. Comments? I'm improvising Garth, but that's fine by me. I'm assuming he is using a +1 longbow and +1 breastplate. He also has a +1 longsword and a +1 medium shield. Plus several cure potions. Reasonable?
ACTIONS ===== ===== ===== =====
ROUND -1: The flying bird-machines glide in. At 200 feet from the towers, the archers and militia unleash a volley of arrows, shooting at the pilots, as Alexi urges them and Garth confirms, with a bellow. That volley sees no hits -- but considering the range mods and shooting at moving targets with cover, it's no surprise.
ROUND 0: As the "birds" come near the wall (still almost 100 feet up), four creatures leap out of each flying machine. They unfurl cloth-like wings and make controlled falls down to the top of the wall, where they discard the wings and make agile landings.
The creatures coming out of the "birds" are some kind of lizardmen. They are scaled, lithe, and sport sharp teeth, claws, and a long tail. They are greenish-yellow, wearing black studded leather armor.
As the lizardmen fall, the archers unleash a volley of arrows. Garth does too. About half of the archers forget the order to shoot at the pilots and instead shoot at the lizardmen falling toward them.
This round, Keela shoots a magic missile at a pilot. Please tell me which pilot (B or C, see map) you are hitting with that spell, please, Keela, and roll your damage.
I will accept actions from Alexi and Jet for Round 0 as well.
Militia shots at craft B pilot: three misses. Militia shots at craft C pilot: two misses. Militia shots at descending lizardmen: One hit vs lizardman 1 for 8 damage.
Archer shots at pilots: One hit vs craft pilot C for 6 damage.
Former PCs B and C shoot at craft pilot C [total ad lib here on the attacks]: two hits for 3 and 5.
Garth shoots at craft pilot C and misses.
ROUND 1: The flying machines start to make turns over the settlement. Next round they will have turned 180 degrees and be headed out the way they came.
The lizardmen land on the wall, dropping the cloth gliders with which they flew down. They draw light crossbows. That's all they have time for this round.
Now I need player actions for Round 1, as well as suggestions for NPC actions. I will also accept actions for Jet and Alexi for Round 0.
Enemy Info
Pilots: AC17, AC21 with cover (which they have at all times since they remain in their airships) Lizardmen: AC17
Pilot Craft B - unwounded Pilot Craft C - 14 hp damage
Off-Map Enemy and NPC notes: Flying Craft A and its crew are attacking the north end of the wall; Craft D and its crew are attacking the south end. Those combats are being handled by the DM through descriptive text, not rolls. If you send Former PC B north and Former PC C south, then the results north and south will echo the results in the center. Otherwise, the north and south will fare worse.
Jet Stormway (AC:22 HP:36/36 ; Bantom AC:19 HP:42/42) Wednesday January 20th, 2010 11:41:44 AM
Jet sits astride Bantom, cinfident gargul will be pleased today with the host of the enemy that will arrive before him. He places Bantom in front of the temple's main door. (I'm unsure if it faces the water tower or the gate. I assume the main gate right now.)
2 rounds before battle cast Entropic Shield on self.
1round before battle cast Magic Weapon on sword
Jet remains seated and if none land or close for battle, Jet will start taking flasks of oil from his saddle bags and start throwing them at the machines, to make them a bit less boyant once a spark hits it.
0-Detect Poison, Guidance, Resistance, Virtue
1-*Magic Weapon, Protection from Evil, Detect Evil, *Entropic Shield
ooc: Don't forget, you have to target creatures with Magic Missile spells, but they ignore cover, I believe.
DM Cayzle - to Jet Wednesday January 20th, 2010 11:45:39 AM
So Entropic Shield in Round -2, Magic Weapon in Round -1, throw an oil in Round 0? The only problem is that the range increment on the oil is 10 feet, I think, and the max throwing distance is five increments, or 50 feet. That's still 30 feet shy of the mark. Also, the aircraft are only directly overhead in round 1. So I still need a Round 0 action?
Jet Stormway (AC:22 HP:36/36 ; Bantom AC:19 HP:42/42) Wednesday January 20th, 2010 12:05:38 PM
Jet seeing they don't plan on landing will take an arrow from Garth each round starting on round 0, tie a small bandage near the base of the head, dip it in oil and light it, until he has someone to engage. If he had everything ready, he might be able to make a move action to tie and dip another to light it and hand it over.
The temple door should remain slightly open so the priests inside can cast spells and return to cover. They might be able to cast a message spell and let the dwarves know when to come out.
DM's requests. As for the militia, I would give them an average AC of 15 or 16 and not worry about the types of armor. Some may have a better dexterity then the guy next to him.
Bows were definitely the most common weapon however, between the ranger, sharp shooter and Alexi, thay all should know how to pull a shaft. Reasonable otherwise.
Jet suggests to Garth "Send the other's from our troop toward the front wall. We will have the dwarves come out on round two to defend the southern wall near the mine."
Alexi (AC: 20, HP:34/34) Lobo (AC: 19, HP:37/37) d20+3=6 ; Wednesday January 20th, 2010 10:26:30 PM
OOC: Man, fireball has a range of 400ft! Can Targeth or Fatine come up with one of those? :) Sleep has a range of 100ft. I can't remember if it was Keela or Fatine that used it once.
I agree with Jet on the militia AC. Alexi trained them with spears and swords while Caelnin and Beren trained them in archery. I'd say they were using short bows, as longbows are much more costly to make and much harder to draw. They know the basics of moving in formation and staying in formation. Provided their moral doesn't fail.
Also, Fatine and her panther should probably be with Jet and Garth. If she has a spell that has the range, she should get one off at 'A'.
IC: Alexi watches as the battle commences. Torn between assisting in the fighting on the wall and staying to protect Keela, he fires an arrow at B? (same one Keela shoots her MM at).
d20+5 -2 = 6
The arrow sails way past the flying thing, but it gives Alexi a good feeling to be doing something. :)
Spontaneously cast arcane spells from witch spell list, plus 1/day prepared divine spells from Luck domain.
Spells/Day
Level #/Spells (+1 is for domain spell)
0 2
1 2+1 2 2+1
0-level: spontaneously cast from following. Save DC = 13 (15 enchantment) Comprehend Languages Cure Minor Wounds Detect Chaos/Law/Evil/Good Detect Magic Detect Poison Detect Undead Endure Elements Guidance Lesser Confusion Prestidigitation Read Magic Resistance Cooperation
1-level: spontaneously cast from following. Save DC = 14 (16 enchantment)
Cause Fear Charm Person Command Delay Poison Detect Thoughts Divine Favor Doom Enlarge Person Hypnotism Reduce Person Remove Fear Sleep 100ft +10/lvl range Surrender Blood
2-level: spontaneously cast from following. Save DC = 15 (17 enchantment) Alter Self Augury Bear's Endurance Blindness/Deafness 100ft +10/lvl Bull's Strength Cat's Grace Cure Light Wounds Identify Remove Blindness/Deafness Scare See Invisibility Speak with Animals Call Spirit
Domain Spells: Prepare 1/day per available level:
1: Entropic Shield
2: Aid
***************** Fell free to put the pilot to sleep or blind the pilot :)
DM Cayzle - on Former PCs Thursday January 21st, 2010 12:36:29 AM
Really, I want to avoid playing or including former PCs. I'd much rather say, for example, that Fatine is handling the northern attack. I'd like Alexi, Jet, and Keela to be handling the center, and let former PCs handle the north and south. Okay? If Keela casts a scorching ray, for example, that brings down a plane, then maybe Fatine will cast Blindness and bring down another.
Keela d4=3 ; 2d4+2=8 ; Thursday January 21st, 2010 12:43:22 AM
For her held action, Keela fires at C. Damage is 4.
Seeing that the pilots are not stopping, Keela fires her own Magic Missiles (not from the wand) at C whenever he gets within 140 feet. Damage is 8.
Today's Spells: 0 - Detect Magic 0 - Disrupt Undead 0 - Light 0 - Ray of Frost 1 - Color Spray 1 - Feather Fall 1 - Magic Missile (cast) 1 - Ray of Enfeeblement 2 - Scorching Ray 2 - Scorching Ray 2 - Web
Jet Stormway (AC:22 HP:36/36 ; Bantom AC:19 HP:42/42) Thursday January 21st, 2010 10:35:26 AM
ooc: I'm sorry. I thought I read somewhere in your post that we should use them or things would go badly, but I don't see that now. It must have been my imagination. Sorry. :)
Jet preps and hands Garth a crude form of flaming arrow -- DM ruling = -1 to hit, +1 damage, 25% chance to force objects to save vs. fire. Garth's arrow, rolled previously, misses.
Alexi rallies troops and gets out his bow and arrow.
Keela fires a magic missile from a wand, as noted earlier. Damage is 4.
Round 1 - Allied Actions and Results
Jet gives Garth another fire arrow.
Alexi fires at a pilot and misses.
Keela casts magic missile, hitting for another 8. That's enough to put the pilot under, and flying craft C crashes at AM-20, totalling one hut-like residence and damaging two more. The area is filled with debris.
Garth fires at Pilot B, missing, but hitting his cover, that is, the airship. The flying craft does not catch fire. He commands the militia to draw their swords, and the archers to fire at lizards. Garth also orders former PCs B and C to fire at the aircraft, but they miss.
The militia drop their bows, draw swords, and attack. One hits Lizard 7 for 5 damage. The archers fire their bows. Considering the -4 for firing into a melee, only one hits, vs Lizard 7, for 1 damage.
Round 2 - Enemy Actions and Results
The remaining two flying machines fly off to the west, back the way they came.
The eight lizards fire their crossbows. They are standing right next to their targets, and they do not take the -4 penalty for shooting into melee, since each is engaged with a single foe. They are dodging and weaving as they load and shoot, much like a mage dodges and weaves when casting on the defensive. Lizard 6 fails to dodge very well, and so provokes AoOs as usual. Two AoOs on Lizard 6 miss badly.
Eight lizards shoot twice each at their foes. Each shoots twice at +7. The militia are AC13. the lizards rip into them, L1 hitting a milita once for 5, L2 hits another twice for 12 (he's down), L3 hits another once for 5, L4 hits another once for 6, L5 hits another once for 4, L6 hits another once for 2, L7 hits another twice for 6, and L8 hits the last twice for 8 (he's down). Militia now unconscious are marked with thick grey borders, at N25 and L47.
Next Up: I need PC actions for the bottom of Round 2 and ideas for allied NPC actions, if desired.
Enemy Info
Pilots: AC17, AC21 with cover (which they have at all times since they remain in their airships) Lizardmen: AC17
Pilot Craft B - unwounded and flying away Pilot Craft C - 26 hp damage, plus falling/crash damage. Flying Machine is down.
Off-Map Enemy and NPC notes: Flying Craft A has also been downed; it crashed into the side of the gulch. Flying Craft D is flying away. Lizards on the walls north and south are similarly attacking the militia.
DM Cayzle - Extra Thursday January 21st, 2010 5:46:20 PM
How to get up on (or down from) the wall: you can go up through any tower or through the stables. You can climb up on the wagons with a climb DC10 check.
Alexi (AC: 20, HP:34/34) Lobo (AC: 19, HP:37/37) d20+5=9 ; Thursday January 21st, 2010 10:12:47 PM
OOC: Ex-PCs. I understand what you mean about there use. I just thought I'd post Fatine's spells here for quick reference. It was an afterthought to suggest putting her at the temple. My bad. :)
BTW, please make the correction for Alexi and Keela's position. Keela is at AN-35, not Alex, and Alexi is at AN-32. They got switched.
IC: Alexi gives a whooping yell as Keela brings down their machine. "See! What'd I tell ya? You've done it!" He praises Keela. "Now we need to finish off any of the survivors while they are still dazed! Follow me but stay far enough behind me to be out of danger. Just watch my back. We need to make sure there are no survivors. We don't want any of them sneaking past us or catching us by surprise from behind."
Alexi heads towards (from AN-32) the crashed 'C' craft and stops at AK-26 (35ft of movement) and fires another arrow at anything that moves from the wreckage.
d20+5= 9.
Keela d4=3 ; Friday January 22nd, 2010 12:44:51 AM
Keela doubts there's anybody left in the wreckage. She moves diagonally, placing herself closer to the wreck and the wall. [Move 30 feet to AJ-31]
Unless she sees something moving in the wreckage, she shoots another Magic Missile from her wand into Lizardman #4 (who looks to be just in range if I counted the squares right). Damage is 4.
DM Cayzle - Preliminary Before Jet Posts Friday January 22nd, 2010 8:56:54 AM Round 2 - Allied Actions and Results
Alexi moves to the crash site and looks things over. He thinks that nothing has survived that.
Keela moves and then uses her wand, hurting Lizard 4.
Jet has yet to post.
Garth sees that the battle to the north and south is going worse than the center, not that the center is going well. He dispatches former player characters B and C to the north and south. They descend the towers and run. That will help, Garth says, but he sees that if the events of last round repeat, his people will start dropping like flies. But what to do? He is not a general! He pauses, using the delay action, to size up the situation. Any suggestions, out of character or in?
The militia and tower archers have yet to act.
Round 3 - Enemy Actions and Results
Still to come.
Enemy Info
Pilots: AC17, AC21 with cover (which they have at all times since they remain in their airships) Lizardmen: AC17
Jet Stormway (AC:22 HP:36/36 ; Bantom AC:19 HP:42/42) d20+8=19 ; Friday January 22nd, 2010 4:47:58 PM
ooc: This is what Jet would liek to see happen. he ill take the right tower, Alexi take the left tower and Keela, with Lobo remain near the temple guarding it. She can keep popiing off that wand until they close in. The aircraft is empty. They carried a load of lizard men and the piolet was all that remained when it crashed.
Jet spurs Bantom to Q 33 yelling to Alexi, but expecting him to listen. "Take the left wall and leave the aircraft there for the fire brigade to deal with!" Once there, he takes his own move action to quickly climb the stairs to the wall, pulling his sword and yelling to Bantom, "Guard Garth until I call for you!"
Bantom snorts, "Offff for all the fun again Jet? Alright, but I don't like it."
Ride: 19
0-Detect Poison, Guidance, Resistance, Virtue
1-*Magic Weapon, Protection from Evil, Detect Evil, *Entropic Shield
Alexi (AC: 20, HP:34/34) Lobo (AC: 19, HP:37/37) Friday January 22nd, 2010 10:48:12 PM
OOC: suggestion- since the militia have a hard time hitting the lizardmen, they could pair up to push them off the wall. They are using shields so they might use a shield bash. With two vs one, they may have a better chance than trying to get past the lizard AC.
Alexi (AC: 20, HP:34/34) Lobo (AC: 19, HP:37/37) Friday January 22nd, 2010 10:55:06 PM
OOC: how high is this wall again?
Keela d4=3 ; Sunday January 24th, 2010 2:12:53 PM
[OOC: What Alexi said. Also, if they attack defensively, they'll boost their AC a little.]
Keela continues moving toward the towers, but still isn't quite in range for her closer spells. She fires another Magic Missile from her wand at Lizardman #4.
[Move to AC-30. 4 damage.]
Today's Spells: 0 - Detect Magic 0 - Disrupt Undead 0 - Light 0 - Ray of Frost 1 - Color Spray 1 - Feather Fall 1 - Magic Missile (cast) 1 - Ray of Enfeeblement 2 - Scorching Ray 2 - Scorching Ray 2 - Web
Alexi (AC: 20, HP:34/34) Lobo (AC: 19, HP:37/37) Sunday January 24th, 2010 5:49:23 PM
Alexi, hoping that the crashed killed any that were left, if any, in the flying craft, hustles to join Keela at AC-29 and surveys the battle on the wall and looks at Jet for any further instructions, bow at the ready (hold action to wait for a target not adjacent to a militia).
OOC: Alexi uses his movment to Hustle and reaching Keela's side in one movement action, leaving his standard action free, which he holds until after the enemy has gone to see if one is left alone (not adjacent to a millitiaman) and if that happens, he shoots an arrow at it as his held action.
OOC Info: The walls are 20 feet up; the towers, 40. If you fall off a wall, you take 1d6 actual damage and 1d6 nonlethal damage.
Round 2 - Allied Actions and Results
Alexi moves to the crash site and looks things over. He thinks that nothing has survived that.
Keela moves to AJ31and then uses her wand, hurting Lizard 4.
Garth sees that the battle to the north and south is going worse than the center, not that the center is going well. He dispatches former player characters B and C to the north and south. They descend the towers and run. That will help, Garth says, but he sees that if the events of last round repeat, his people will start dropping like flies.
Jet and Bantom race to the tower. Jet dismounts, enters the tower, and starts up the ladder to the wall.
Garth hesitates, and is glad to see Jet race to the wall. Will he be in time to stop mass casualties? What about the militia on the southern wall? He is not a general! Garth thinks for a moment about having the militia try to knock the enemy off the wall -- a move of desperation. Or of trying to last another round with a defensive stance. He figures the militia to the north have a better chance since Jet is going that way, so he commands those militia to use total defense. To the south, he orders, "Try to knock them off the wall!"
The militia to the south: They manage to knock one lizardman -- number 6 -- to the ground. He takes some damage.
The militia to the north: Use total defense to add +4 to their ACs.
The four archers left in the towers fire, still at -4 firing into melee. Lizard 3 takes 6, and Lizard 8 takes 2.
Finally, Garth himself fires at the most injured lizard to the south. He hits Lizard 7 for 4 more.
With a huge battle cry in a language you do not understand, the lizards drop their crossbows, which you see are chained to their belts. They try to grapple militia members. The militia have grapple DCs of 11, on average. The lizards have grapple checks of +5. Six grapple attempts result in just three grapples -- in part because of the defensive efforts of the militia to the north. Of those three grapples, two grapple attacks bring their targets to zero or negatives, and one militia is still fighting.
One lizard, not grappling, facing an unconscious militia member, just picks up the human and jumps off the wall, not needing a grapple check to pick up a helpless foe.
So at the end of the top of round 3, lizards 1, 2, and 8 are fighting wounded militia hand to hand. Lizard 3 is at the bottom of the wall, having taken falling damage, but carrying an unconscious milita. Lizards 4 and 7 are standing on the wall holding militia who have been grappled into unconsciousness. Lizard 5 is actively grappling a still-fighting militia. Lizard 6 is at the base of the wall, and stands up this round.
Round 3 - Allied Actions and Results
Alexi moves to AC29 and looks for a lizard to shoot who is not engaged. He can shoot at lizard 4 with no penalty and with no chance of hitting the militia that lizard 4 is carrying.
Keela moves to AC30 and then uses her wand again, hurting Lizard 4 for 4.
Jet emerges onto the wall, about ten feet from Lizard 4. Alexi can fire at Lizard 4 at this point. Then Jet can engage and make a standard attack vs Lizard 4 if desired.
Bantom moves back to guard Garth.
So let's end at the bottom of Round 3. We need a shot from Alexi (at Lizard 4, although Lizard 7 are choices too, but farther away). We need a standard action from Jet. Keela is all done for the round.
Then I'll do actions for Garth, the four archers in the towers, and the one militia still doing anything (he's in a grapple with Lizard 5). As always, I welcome suggestions for allied NPC actions. That will end Round 3. Then I'll post the enemy action for the start of Round 4. All clear?
And the Map at the end of Round 3, but before Jet and Alexi have completed their moves, and before the allied NPCs have acted.
Alexi (AC: 20, HP:34/34) Lobo (AC: 19, HP:37/37) d20+3=10 ; d20+11=25 ; 3d8+9=25 ; d8+3=9 ; d20+10=11 ; d20+10=23 ; Monday January 25th, 2010 11:40:32 PM
OOC: I was actually wanting the militia to knock the enemy off the wall to the inside where Alexi could get to them, instead of the outside. but from the militia point of view, I guess they'd want the lizardman outside.
IC: Alexi now sees a lizardman open and fires is arrow as Jet approaches. D20+5-2(range)= 10.
Actions for round 4: Frustrated at his poor archery, Alexi belts out in anger and looks at Keela. Trying hard to control his anger, he says, "Go on over to Garth and he can protect you. I'm doing no good here and Jet will have my hide if I don't give up on my archery skills."
OOC: Let's see if this works. If you see a flaw let me know so I can redo it. Looks like he can't Charge anyone, they are either too far away or a building corner blocks the straigth path. Lobo's
At that, Alexi drops his bow as he asks Keela to take it over to Garth. Then he Spurs Lobo into a Run (35ft +10ft (Spur) x3 = 135ft for 1 Move action) while grasping his lance from its holster and heads towards Lizardman 5. Ride Check (guide w/knees) d20+10 DC5= 11 (almost forgot abut his one)
OOC: The lance can reach 10ft. Alexi's reach + mounted on a heavy warhorse, should at least get the lizardman's feet. right?
If so: d20+11 (no size mod) = 25 (oops, that's longsword) make this d20+7(no size mod)=21 dmg 1d8+3= 9 dmg (ignore the 25 dmg, this was when i thought i was Charging)
OOC:Now, it gets complicated. Upon reaching the wall, Lobo used 100ft of his Spured Run of his 1st Move Action leaving 35ft left over. I want to pull lobo back from the wall 35ft to complete the Move Action. This may cause an AOO from Liz5 and Alexi's AC would be 18 due to the Run.
He should end up at T41 (I'm assuming that the turn will take up some movement too). In any case, that only uses up 1 Move Action from Lobo at a Spurred Run and he takes 1pt of damage from the Spur. I'm presuming there is no attack on Lobo, but if there should be: Ride Check d20+10=23 new Lobo AC for this round.
It took me a couple of hours of page flipping, cat and wife distractions to come up with all this. :P Did I cover everything? Confused? me too.
Alexi (AC: 20, HP:34/34) Lobo (AC: 19, HP:37/37) Monday January 25th, 2010 11:51:11 PM
Oops: i mentioned that the Liz5 may get an AOO when Alexi turns around and goes back, but that would mean the Liz5 would have at least a 10ft reach. And if they've already dropped their crossbows...
Jet Stormway (AC:22 HP:36/36 ; Bantom AC:19 HP:42/42) d20+8=23 ; 2d6+7=11 ; Tuesday January 26th, 2010 9:40:19 AM
Jet yells to the archers, "Take down any that try to escape, especially with our troops!" Pointing down to the one that's attempting to get away.
Then, he brings his sword down on the lizard creature, hoping the edge of his weapon bites hard and deep in the body of the enemy.
Attack #4 hitting AC 23 doing 11 damage.
ooc: Made a mistake with my spell list. I forgot I need a Domain spell. I will replace Detect Evil with Enlarge. My apologies.
0-Detect Poison, Guidance, Resistance, Virtue
1-*Magic Weapon, Protection from Evil, *Entropic Shield, Enlarge person
Jet Stormway (AC:22 HP:36/36 ; Bantom AC:19 HP:42/42) Tuesday January 26th, 2010 3:29:18 PM
ooc: Oops. Forgot to add, Jet takes a five foot step to O 28 and attacks.
Is there room on the wall for jet to use his Enlarge person spell, or would it be cumbersome requiring dex checks and such?
Keela Tuesday January 26th, 2010 10:24:11 PM
(Keela is done for this round. :) )
OOC: Jet, you could enlarge with no penalties atop the wall. You would fill a tower-top, though, with no room for anyone else.
OOC: I somehow missed that Alexi is mounted on Lobo (that's your horse, right?). I've fixed that now.
OOC: The dwarves are emerging and are staffing the inner wall, but they are not on the map.
Round 3 - Allied Actions and Results -- New actions are in italic.
Alexi moves to AC29 and looks for a lizard to shoot who is not engaged. He can shoot at lizard 4 with no penalty and with no chance of hitting the militia that lizard 4 is carrying. Alexi fires but misses!
Keela moves to AC30 and then uses her wand again, hurting Lizard 4 for 4.
Jet emerges onto the wall, about ten feet from Lizard 4. Alexi fires at Lizard 4 at this point. Then Jet can engage and make a standard attack vs Lizard 4. He does so, hitting Lizard 4 for 11. That's 19 total to number 4, now, and it is quite wounded, but not out! It could take another couple whacks, maybe.
Bantom moves back to guard Garth.
Garth yells at the militia to retreat!
One militia to the south is grappling with Lizard 5. He tries to drag the lizard off the wall toward the east. He succeeds! He takes falling damage, and so does the Lizard. The militiaman falls unconscious, maybe dead. Lizard 5 is prone on the ground.
Another militia to the south jumps to the roof of the stable, then down to the ground. He's the only conscious militia.
Two militia to the north use a withdraw action to jump off the wall. Both land badly, and are knocked out.
Garth charges the prone Lizard 5, drawing a long sword as he moves. His attack hits and inflicts 8 more.
The four archers shoot at Lizard 3, who is carrying a militia. One hits for 4 damage.
And the Map at the end of Round 3, after all enemy and allied moves.
Round 4 - Enemy Actions and Results -- All new actions.
Lizard 3, carrying an unconscious militia, runs off. All the rest of the Lizardfolk on the wall use the withdraw action to jump down and head off. Altogether, there are now seven Lizards moving west beyond the wall. Just one -- Lizard 5 -- is on the inner side of the wall. He rises from prone, provoking an AoO, which Garth takes, hitting for 11 hp. One more solid hit should drop that Lizard. He takes a five foot step back and draws his crossbow.
In the far distance (600 feet west), two flying machines have landed.
Round 4 - Allied Actions To Come
Jet has posted a full attack, and Alexi wants to charge a Lizard on the wall, but events have overtaken these plans. I need new actions from Jet, Alexi, and Keela for the bottom of Round 4. The only Lizard Alexi and Keela can see is the badly wounded one facing the uninjured Garth. Another seven are now beyond the wall, and four are carrying captives.
Jump checks for Lizards: one makes it and takes less damage from the drop.
Here is a Map after the enemy has moved in Round 4. NOTE WELL! The coordinates on this map have changed. I had to move things to give extra space to the west, in the direction the Lizards are retreating.
Alexi (AC: 20, HP:34/34) Lobo (AC: 19, HP:36/37) Wednesday January 27th, 2010 11:55:02 PM
OOC: Just adjust Alexi's actions to reflect that Liz5 is not on the wall but on the ground. As the militaman is prone and unconscious, Lobo can pass through the square inhindered and not injure the man either.
Something like this, using the rolls already rolled:
d20+8(size mod)=22 dmg 1d8+3= 9 dmg (ignore the 25 dmg, this was when i thought i was Charging, but since it is a Run, I don't think I get the multipliers, but if you determine I do, then Dmg 25)
He continues the rest of Lobo's Move action and he should end up at AV42 +/- a square. Since a Run is Full Round Action, that's all Lobo(yep, that's Alexi's horse) can do, and he takes 1pt of damage from the Spurred run. I'm presuming there is no attack on Lobo, but if there should be: Ride Check d20+10=23 new Lobo AC for this round.
Alexi now prepares to charge Liz5 if he survives Garth's turn.
Jet Stormway (AC:22 HP:34(1)/36 ; Bantom AC:19 HP:42/42) d20=10 ; d20+8=25 ; 2d6+7=16 ; d20+2=3 ; d6=1 ; d6=1 ; Thursday January 28th, 2010 12:04:08 PM
Bantom, is supposed to be staying with Garth, but he isn't going to let a human have all the fun. He charges over toward the wagons and if he can't jump over them to get outside, he will run his head through a yoke to pull one aside..
D20 for a Jump attempt. Not a known feat, but horses jump all the time. He is wearing chain barding. If he can't do it normally, I doubt he would attempt it. Use the 10 on the d20 for whatever call you want to make. :)
Jet hacks yet again into the lizard thing, showing no mercy and grinning from ear to ear as the creatures life blood splatters all over the visor of his helm. If that attack ends the creature, he will use a move action to jump down off the wall and help Bantom to get outside and chase them down. He watches Bantom making up his own mind and shudders at the thought of being stomped by the enormous, intelligent creature. Better them then me!
"Wings have landed and they are taking our own! Get your butts over here and lets kill these cold blooded vermin !"
Attack #4 hitting AC 25 doing 16 damage.
Jump: 3 (Natural 1 Good time after those two hits.)
First 10' subdual with intentional jump for 1 damage. Second 10 feet lethal damage for 1 damage. (whew)
1-*Magic Weapon, Protection from Evil, *Entropic Shield, Enlarge person
Keela Friday January 29th, 2010 1:16:57 AM
Keela isn't sure it's such a grand idea to be pulled so far to one side of the compound, but she wants to stay near Alexi and Jet. She hurries toward the gate, anxious to try to stop the lizardmen before they make off with the militia members.
Jet jumps off the wall, taking very little damage. He races toward Lizard 4 and hacks him down.
Bantom scrambles to get out into the fray. The intelligent horse leaps onto the wagons, and then over the gate. But he takes 4 hp lethal damage when he lands, and another 1 hp nonlethal.
Alexi charges Lizard 5 and finishes him off, skewering him to death at the point of his lance.
Keela takes a double move to get as close to the gate as she can.
Garth runs to the nearest tower and out on the wall. He orders the archers to shoot.
The four archers shoot at Lizard 7, who is carrying a militia. Two arrows hit for 8 damage. That Lizard is quite wounded.
Round 5 - Enemy Actions and Results
Lizard 8 and Lizard 7, carrying militia, run towards the airships.
Lizard 6 runs 30 feet after 8 and 7, drawing a crossbow. Then he turns and shoots it at Jet. A natural 20 does not crit, but Jet does take 6 hp damage.
Lizards 4 and 5 are out.
Lizard 3 keeps running with a militia.
Lizard 2 steps around the bodies of Lizard 4 and a militia to take a defensive stance right in front of Jet. His AC is 21.
Lizard 1 chases after Lizard 3 as a rearguard.
Enemy Info
Lizardmen: AC17 (except the one next to Jet, at AC21)
Alexi (AC: 20, HP:34/34) Lobo (AC: 19, HP:36/37) Friday January 29th, 2010 9:44:16 PM
Alexi yells across the grounds to the temple to get the clerics to attend to the wounded militia, then calls to the militiaman (to the south of him) to help him open a gate. He then encourages keela, "You are doing marvelous, my dear. Now that they've cleared off the wall, station yourself in a tower and aid the archers and Jet while keeping watch for anymore that may come."
He then proceeds to push a wagon aside enough to get through and open a gate whith the aid of as many militia as can help (excluding the archers).
OOC: however many rounds that takes. :(
Keela Sunday January 31st, 2010 11:42:59 PM
Hearing Alexi's shout, Keela heads for the northern tower and climbs to the top.
[I'm assuming that will be another double move.]
Jet Stormway (AC:22 HP:28(1)/36 ; Bantom AC:19 HP:42/42) Entropic Shield, Magic Weapon d100=72 ; d20+6=19 ; d20+6=13 ; d20+1=9 ; d20+8=22 ; 2d6+7=12 ; d20+8=11 ; Monday February 1st, 2010 9:54:38 AM
Bantom is not going to let a battle pass him, by. He wants to charge forward 105' and watch to see which of the lizards are fastest. That's the one that is going to get trampled next round. But then, he hears Jet call for him and decides to help the human out.
Bantom Moves to AH 29 attacking AC 21 missing
Jet on the other hand takes a bolt in the shoulder, when his Entropic Shield spell fails. With a slight grimace, he takes a huge swing at the defending lizard creature and again, his magic from the power and grace Domi allows it to bite nicely into the flesh of the cold blooded creature.
Jet attacks AC 21 hitting AC 22 doing 12 damage.
If the creature dies, Jet mounts Bantom for movement next round. Ride: 11
If the creature is still up Jet takes a five foot step to AI 27 to flank the creature with Bantom next round.
Entropic Shield: 72 hits.
Entropic Shield 7/20 Magic Weapon +1 6/20
0-Detect Poison, Guidance, Resistance, Virtue
1-*Magic Weapon, Protection from Evil, *Entropic Shield, Enlarge person
Jet Stormway (AC:22 HP:28(1)/36 ; Bantom AC:19 HP:42/42) Entropic Shield, Magic Weapon Monday February 1st, 2010 9:58:28 AM
Bantom will finish at AG/ AH, 29/30
DM Cayzle - End Round 5 and Start Round 6 d6=4 ; d6=6 ; d20+2=13 ; d20+2=14 ; d20=13 ; d20=12 ; d20+5=20 ; d20+5=13 ; d20+5=20 ; d8+3=9 ; d20+8=15 ; d20+8=23 ; Monday February 1st, 2010 11:34:23 AM
Round 5 - Allied Actions and Results
Jet hits Lizard 2 for 12 damage. It is still up. Bantom moves up to join his friend, and misses.
Alexi gets a wagon moved and the gate opened.
Keela takes a double move to get to the top of Tower B.
Garth jumps off the wall (4 hp lethal damage, 6 hp nonlethal damage) and races toward Lizard 6. He gets right up next to him, but does not have an action left with which to attack.
Four archers shoot at Lizard 8, two at longer range. All four arrows miss.
Round 6 - Enemy Actions and Results
Lizards 1, 3, 7, and 8, carrying three militia among them, move 60 feet further toward the airships.
Lizards 2 and 6 both try the same tactic. They both have one cross-class rank in Tumble, and they try to tumble back without provoking an AoO. Lizard 2 succeeds, and moves away from Jet and Bantom without provoking AoOs. Lizard 6 fails, and Garth gains an AoO against him. Garth's AoO hits Lizard 6 for 9 damage.
Then Lizards 2 and 6 move about 20 feet, then raise their crossbows. They shoot at Jet and at Garth. Having some Woldian Sharpshooter levels, they try Disarm Trick Shots. These are disarm attempts, resolved as usual, but the sharpshooters have no chance to drop their weapons. Lizard 2 shoots at Jet, hitting a Disarm DC15, a failure. Lizard 6 hits a Disarm DC23, a hit, and Garth drops his weapon.
Jet Stormway (AC:22 HP:28(1)/36 ; Bantom AC:19 HP:42/42) Entropic Shield, Magic Weapon d100=29 ; Monday February 1st, 2010 3:41:04 PM
ooc: Entropic Shield failed again, so attack successful, even if the disarm failed.
DM Cayzle Monday February 1st, 2010 5:24:47 PM
LOL! Sorry Buzz! I keep forgetting. But it does not matter, since you were missed.
DM Cayzle Monday February 1st, 2010 6:18:35 PM
Extra note: Sorry, forgot to mention that the druid and clerics have emerged to attend to the wounded on this side of the gate.
Alexi (AC: 20, HP:34/34) Lobo (AC: 19, HP:36/37) d20+5=13 ; Monday February 1st, 2010 9:50:32 PM
With the wagon aside and a gate open, Alexi tries a Fast Mount to gain time. Ride DC20 d20+10-5 (armor penatly = 13, failed
Alexi's shield gets in his way and he has trouble getting a good footing in the stirrup (has to use a Move action to mount). But he is soon underway and out the gate. (OOC: I don't understand why a Run has to be in a straight line but that is what the book says. I'm presuming the gate is wide open, picture shows gate in the way of Lobo, so I'm moving through the squares the gate is shown to occupy in the picture.)
Alexi knows he has a lot of ground to make up so he Spurs Lobo into a Hustle (OOC: can't use a Run because it's not a straight line out the door.) He only has 1 move left so he makes it to AC31 (Move 35' + 10' (spur) x 2(hustle)).
From here he sees the battlefield clearly and has many targets to choose from.
OOC: how far away is the flying machine from AC31?
Alexi (AC: 20, HP:34/34) Lobo (AC: 19, HP:35/37) Monday February 1st, 2010 9:51:52 PM
Oops, forgot to subract 1hp from Lobo. got it now.
Alexi (AC: 20, HP:34/34) Lobo (AC: 19, HP:35/37) d20+10=16 ; Monday February 1st, 2010 9:59:37 PM
Oops again, forgot something. Ride Spur Mount DC15 d20+10=16, phew! didn't want to have to redo my actions!
Keela Tuesday February 2nd, 2010 1:23:14 AM
Keela moves as far forward in the tower as she can. It's a long shot without clear anchor points, but she casts a Web at Lizards 7 and 8. Perhaps it will at least slow them down. (Reflex save DC 15)
Today's Spells: 0 - Detect Magic 0 - Disrupt Undead 0 - Light 0 - Ray of Frost 1 - Color Spray 1 - Feather Fall 1 - Magic Missile (cast) 1 - Ray of Enfeeblement 2 - Scorching Ray 2 - Scorching Ray 2 - Web (cast)
Jet Stormway (AC:22 HP:28(1)/36 ; Bantom AC:19 HP:46(1)/51) Entropic Shield, Magic Weapon d20+8=27 ; d20+8=22 ; 2d6+7=12 ; 2d6+7=11 ; d20+4=19 ; d20+1=20 ; Tuesday February 2nd, 2010 9:48:01 AM
The bipedal lizard underestimates the speed of this street thug. Jet in his heavy armor is still able to move far enough to cut the creature into two individual pieces. It's eyes stare up into nothingness as Gargul's call is final.
Now, all of his actions are finished, or are they?
Bantom follows Jet to watch the corpse hit the ground. He rides close to his human friend. Close enough that all Jet has to do is grab the saddle with one arm and lift his feet so Bantom can carry him with he riding the mighty war horse.
Jet attacks #2 with a critical hit confirmed doing 23 damage.
Attempting a heroic move as a free action to just wrap his arm around Bantoms saddle horn and lift his legs, while Bantom carries him along his side. Making random rolls to see what might be needed.
Strength Check to support weight 19 Reflex Save to keep from getting run over: 20
If these actions are allowed, Bantom will make full movement forward to L 29 (If Bantom gets an extra 30' from his Run feat it would be F 29.
Entropic Shield 8/20 Magic Weapon +1 7/20
0-Detect Poison, Guidance, Resistance, Virtue
1-*Magic Weapon, Protection from Evil, *Entropic Shield, Enlarge person
Ooc: It appears Wardd has blessed this generic priest this morning.
Jet Stormway (AC:22 HP:28(1)/36 ; Bantom AC:19 HP:46(1)/51) Entropic Shield, Magic Weapon Tuesday February 2nd, 2010 9:54:34 AM
ooc: Corrction:
Bantom can carry him without he riding the mighty war horse.
DM Cayzle - End Round 6 and Start Round 7 d20+2=20 ; d20+2=3 ; d20=9 ; d20=20 ; d20=19 ; d8=5 ; d8=2 ; d8=7 ; d8=3 ; Tuesday February 2nd, 2010 10:42:35 AM
OOC Rules Note: You are assumed to be hustling whenever you are in combat. Normally you move at your move rate, 30 feet per round for a human, for example. In combat, you are hustling, so you can move 60 feet in a round by taking two move actions.
Round 6 - Allied Actions and Results
Jet and Bantom advance on Lizard 2, strike hard, and kill it outright.
Alexi mounts up, and Lobo charges out.
Keela stretches her arcane power to the limit and casts a Web at the fleeing lizards. But, as the rules say, "These masses must be anchored to two or more solid and diametrically opposed points or else the web collapses upon itself and disappears." Without anchor points, the Webs engulf the Lizards, then collapse and disappear. However, this display of magic startles both Lizards, and, with the death of Lizard 2 as a spur, they seem ready to bolt.
Garth stops to pick up his weapon, then moves 30 feet.
Four archers shoot at Lizard 6, two at longer range. Two hit, and one of those is a critical. 17 total damage to Lizard 6 drops him.
Round 6 - Enemy Actions and Results
Lizards 1, 3, 7, and 8 are the only lizards left standing. They are facing magic and two heroes on horseback. They drop the militia they are carrying and run! Each runs 120 feet this round.
And the Map! NOTE: The map shows NO active enemies. Therefore, keep in mind that at this point Jet and Alexi are mounted and 40 feet from the gate. Two Lizards are 240 feet from the gate. Another two Lizards are 300 feet from the gate. The airships are 600 feet from the gate. The Lizards are running at 120 ft/rnd.
Alexi (AC: 20, HP:34/34) Lobo (AC: 19, HP:33/37) d20+10=20 ; Tuesday February 2nd, 2010 8:51:49 PM
OOC: I hope I got this right, i went back and re-read all i could find on carrying capacity and movement. Can Lobo Run at x4 or only x3? I was calculating his total carried waight at 365lb, medium weight. However, his Base Move Rate is already adjusted for his barding (35') so I subtracted that weight from his carried weight and end up with a light load, or Run at x4. If I'm wrong here let me know.
IC: Alexi tears down the field in hot pursuit of the closest lizardman, Spurring his mighty warhorse into a Run (35'+10') x4, his favorite terrain wide open in front of him.
Spur, Ride DC15 d20+10=20
Lobo moves 180 feet closer to the nearest lizardman (I think that puts him within 20-40 feet away still). Or, only 135 feet closer, if DM adjudicates Lobo's Run is x3 instead. Lobo takes 2hp damage (2nd rnd of Spur).
Keela Tuesday February 2nd, 2010 11:27:02 PM
Keela does not have an enemy within range, which means the archers don't have an enemy within range, either.
"Let's go bring those men to safety," she urges, and begins climbing down from the tower. Her intent is to run out and, hopefully with the help of some of the archers, drag the militia men back inside the walls.
DM Cayzle - OOC on horses running Wednesday February 3rd, 2010 8:56:57 AM
I've had this discussion with Buzz in e-mail about Bantom, and we figured out that Bantom was running at 3x speed, which came to 105 feet per round. If Lobo is similarly equipped, I'd have to make the same ruling.
Let's see ... Bantom has this gear: Chain Barding (80 pounds), Military Saddle (30 pounds), 5 spears on right side strapped to military saddle (30 pounds), and Jet.
Lobo has ... the same, but with 8 lbs of saddlebags instead of the spears. At a glance, looks to me like Lobo is also running at 3x speed.
I would say that armor weight does count against total weight. That's how I play it for my own character, Vauhwyt.
But feel free to let me know if I have made a mistake.
Oh, and I'll grant the extra 10 ft move speed with spurring your mount for Lobo, but that still only puts you at 135 per round, and the Lizards are running at 120. You'll gain 15 feet per round, but I figure that means you can catch up in five rounds, and they'll get to the aircraft in three rounds. At the best, it would be really close.
I'm not convinced Jet could spur Bantom, though. I don't know that an awakened animal would stand for that kind of treatment. We could discuss, though.
Jet Stormway (AC:22 HP:28(1)/36 ; Bantom AC:19 HP:46(1)/51) Entropic Shield, Magic Weapon d20+8=26 ; Wednesday February 3rd, 2010 10:10:08 AM
The first thing Jet does when out of danger is look back to the other walls. Are there more in danger? If jet gets the impression he has chased off the enemy without losing any militia, he will yell at Bantom to go to the next wall to defend it and those upon it from the rest of the battle.
On the other hand, if things are going well all over, Jet will attempt to spur Bantom on toward the flying things. Bantom might not like it, but him and Jet can argue about it later.
My opinion, "spurring your mount" doesn't have to be a painful ordeal, they are just trying to get them to perform better, like a spotter when your working out. Anyway, I would say, Bantom likely wouldn't mind as long as he has over half his hit points. Once he's wounded, he might be less inclined to do so. Just an opinion and I will stay with any DM decision. :)
Ride check to engage other enemies on or near the walls or follow the enemy to the aircreaft spurring Bantom. 26
DM Cayzle - End Round 7 through first half of Round 11 Wednesday February 3rd, 2010 11:55:30 AM
A quick glance around, north and south, shows that while almost all the militia are down on the ground, most are likely not dead, and the lizards are down, dead, or running on all fronts. About eight total are trying to flee to the waiting aircraft (4 from your own fight, 2 from the north, and 2 from the south).
Keela, the priests, and several others start to care for the wounded, carrying most into the Temple.
Jet and Alexi decide to charge, spurring their mounts onward.
Garth shouts to the archers to keep alert, and then he follows Jet and Alexi on foot.
Round 7 - Allied Actions and Results
Jet and Alexi move 135 feet. That puts them 175 feet from the gate. Two Lizards are 240 feet from the gate. Another two Lizards are 300 feet from the gate. The airships are 600 feet from the gate.
Round 8
The Lizards run 120 feet forward. Jet and Alexi move 135 feet. Some Lizards are now 420 feet from the gate, and others are 360 feet from the gate. Our heroes are 310 feet from the gate.
Round 9
The Lizards run 120 feet forward. Jet and Alexi move 135 feet. Some Lizards are now 540 feet from the gate, and others are 480 feet from the gate. Our heroes are 445 feet from the gate.
Round 10
All Lizards run to the two waiting aircraft. Jet and Alexi move 135 feet. All Lizards are now at the flying machines, 600 feet from the gate. Our heroes are 580 feet from the gate, 20 feet from the flying machines.
Round 11
All Lizards board the flying machines and close the doors. The pilots activate the machines, which rise 30 feet into the air. Our heroes are 20 feet away from and 30 feet under the magical flying craft.
Jet and Alexi may now act. Keela, of course, has actions for rounds 8-11 to post.
Please carefully track all stats for spurring a mount for five rounds.
NOTE: Four other fleeing Lizards have joined the four listed above. A total of 8 wounded Lizards are in flight.
DM Cayzle - Extra Post Wednesday February 3rd, 2010 6:40:11 PM
Regarding a few questions I got ...
I hesitate generally to give too much detail ... but I will say that the craft is generally triangular, slightly larger than a wagon, with the pilot sitting in the nose. The wings are stubby and move somewhat, but do not flap. In the back are two big rotating blades, kind of like a short segment of a blade barrier, if you have ever seen, or maybe heard of, that spell. The entire structure is made of wood and canvas, with open gaps for windows. Those within gain the benefit of regular cover.
If you wanted to attack or disable a flying machine, you might attack the pilot (that proved very key to downing two of these machines in the beginning of the combat). You might slash the wings. You might attack the blades. What the effects of these might be you do not know. It might well occur to you that alchemist's fire or a fireball or scorching ray would be effective.
If you threw a thunderstone, you could trigger it by hitting a part of the frame of the thing. Call it AC8. A tanglefoot bag might make for trouble, of one sort or another, though likely not enough to bring it down.
Oh, and when the craft rises, it is very reminiscent of a Levitate spell. So it is at least partly magically powered.
Alexi (AC: 20, HP:34/34) Lobo (AC: 19, HP:33/37) Wednesday February 3rd, 2010 9:31:59 PM
OOC: My original calculations were 135ft with x3 speed, but I got to thinking that, since the warhorse already takes a penalty of movement for wearing the barding, then it would not count against the warhorse a second time if running.
But, it is mute anyway. SPURING a horse incurs too much damage for any sustained SPUR. The damage is double the damage the previous round. IE: 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, etc. Lobo would be one dead horse by Round 11, so Alexi would have stopped the Spur well before then.
Although the damage is per consecutive round. You could technically Spur your horse every other round and only incur the 1hp damage for the Spur.
But either way, Alexi will not be anywhere near the craft. Wich is an irony that an un-encumbered PC can run faster than a running warhorse with rider. But such are the rules. :(
So:
IC: seeing that the enemy has too much of a lead on him, Alexi spares Lobo and just keeps him moving at a normal Run (35ft x3) to make sure the enemy knows they'd better keep their tails between their legs and moving on out of there.
Move Lobo through Rounds 8, 9, 10, and 11 accordingly. He'll be much further away from the craft than the original post on Round 11.
Keela Thursday February 4th, 2010 12:04:42 AM
[OOC: Cayzle, that's generous of you, but I don't think Keela could even reach the injured in the first round. Let along grab them and drag them back inside. :)]
Working as fast as she can, Keela helps drag the injured back inside the walls. She is ready to help elsewhere, though, if she is called away.
Jet Stormway (AC:22 HP:28(1)/36 ; Bantom AC:19 HP:46(1)/51) Entropic Shield, Magic Weapon d20+4=6 ; d20+4=18 ; Thursday February 4th, 2010 9:54:34 AM
Well, I was reading through the rules and jet wouldn't be able to attack the lizardmen while on Bantoms back, mainly because of this rule. You can use ranged weapons while your mount is taking a double move, but at a -4 penalty on the attack roll. You can use ranged weapons while your mount is running (quadruple speed), at a -8 penalty. In either case, you make the attack roll when your mount has completed half its movement. You can make a full attack with a ranged weapon while your mount is moving. Likewise, you can take move actions normally.
Jet wants to bring down one of the flying machines and he can see they are getting away, so pulling out his Tanglefoot Bag, Jet attempts to throw it at the retreating device carrying the invaders. His throw so off, it doesn't even hit the machine.
"Come on back you turd licking cowards! I'll teach you some manners at the tip of my sword you vermin.
Missile attack without all the minuses still misses with a 6.
Jet attempts to see some kind of identifying marker on the craft.
Spot 18
DM Cayzle - Victory! At least for now! Thursday February 4th, 2010 7:20:13 PM Alexi slows down, sparing his mount.
Jet races forward, hurls a tanglefoot bag, but to no avail.
Keela, realizing that the fight is over, helps tend to the wounded.
All along the wall it is the same story. Most militia unconscious. Several failed attempts to capture militia that came to nothing. Two downed flying machines. Eight downed lizards.
Garth is extremely angry. He storms over to one of the downed lizards and screams at it, kicking it over and over. If it had been alive, it's not now.
What do you do in the immediate aftermath of the fight, and throughout the rest of the day? How do you investigate the downed invaders?
In the evening, Garth invites you to meet. "Well, I'm no general, and we had Wardd's luck that we only had three deaths total. But we have to learn from this. Putting the militia on the wall was bad. It was a mistake. And keeping the dwarves in reserve! Did that make any sense? And you guys should have been on the wall to start with. Comments? What have we learned?"
Alexi (AC: 20, HP:34/34) Lobo (AC: 19, HP:33/37) Thursday February 4th, 2010 9:08:13 PM
Alexi returns from the field and looks over the standing militia while Keela and the clerics take care of the wounded. "You people are brave and fought hard. I'm proud to have trained you. Keep the archer towers manned while the rest of you help with the wounded."
Alexi then pays a visit to the temple to see who all is there and to give encouragement to those that are conscious.
After that he returns to the wall and keeps watch for a couple of hours, then returns Lobo to the stables to take care of him and saddles Lupin and has him ready in case of another attack. (Lupin has had warhorse training, but I've not rolled to see if he is a full qualified warhorse yet, so he'll only wear the military saddle, no barding.)
OOC: one thing I did learn from this. Might as well chuck the barding. WIth Ride checks to improve the horse's AC, barding tends to be more cumbersom than the movement penalty is worth. :(
IC: After taking care of Lobo, he confers with the dwarves. "Seen any of these creatures before? Where could they have gotten these flying things? Are they that intelligent?"
He asks Tarketh the same questions but also asks the druid if he can study the machines to learn how they manage to fly.
After a bite to eat a little rest (one never knows when then next battle will come), he meets with Garth and the others.
"Well," Alexi stutters but gains his confidence quickly, "we learned what we are facing and how they can get to us. We had no idea they would drop from the air, that's why we had the militia on the walls. We also wanted to make sure our rear was not exposed, thus the dwarven reserves. As far as us not being on the walls, we wanted to be in a place we could reach either the front or back in a mement's notice."
He pauses for a second then adds, "However, being this our first fight, I think, lucky or not, we did well. If these things come flying in again, though, we can signal the retreat from the wall, and into a block formation." Then he asks, "They lost two of those flying things and one got away. But I don't think this attack was what had the Ahote leave so quickly. How these creatures are linked to that, I don't know, but we must keep double guard tonight. We need to have piles of wood throughout the town and have them ready to be lit on a moment's notice. If an attack comes, we need as much light as possible."
Keela d20+10=23 ; Friday February 5th, 2010 1:12:02 AM
Keela takes a few minutes to look over the downed lizard-creatures. She casts her mind back over her studies, to see if she remembers anything like them. [Knolwedge Nature 23]
She frowns a little at Garth's assessment. "We arrayed ourselves for a ground assault, possibly supplemented by an attack from the mine," she reminds him. "Nobody foresaw flying machines. Certainly now that we know they are a possibility, we can plan for it in future." She sighs. "One thing I have learned is to prepare more long- and medium-range spells. Nothing ever got close enough for the short-range spells."
DM Cayzle - The Flying Mountain Friday February 5th, 2010 9:07:21 AM
Alexi sees to the town defenses, then checks in with the wounded. The morale of the settlement is very high, tempered by the loss of a few, but happy. The dwarves are completely flabbergasted at the reptiles in flying magic aircraft. They never heard of such a thing.
Tarketh reports to Alexi that part of the wreckage of the flying machines is still magic. He says that there is a triangle of three welded metal bars, 10 feet long on each side, with a crossbar under the pilot's seat. The entire craft was anchored to this metal frame, and the frame (one for each craft) is moderately magical.
Alexi suggests tactics for a future fight against these foes.
Keela's study of the lizards reveals that they resemble common lizard folk with slimmer and leaner frames. They are slightly larger than humans, with a tail roughly half their height in length. They are quite heavy and generally more solid than a man. They are covered in fairly coarse and visible scales, except for one with extremely fine scales that looks almost completely smooth. The coarse-scaled ones also have a fin-like crest the runs from their forehead, down their back to the tip of their tail. Their bellies are yellow, and the rest of their bodies, green.
The enemy is gone, but a sense of foreboding hangs over those who experienced the vision of the shaman. Why do you not feel glad at your great victory? Too soon, you will know.
The better part of a week passes. Please feel free to post any actions for that time.
One morning, an alarm is sounded by a watcher on the wall. But as soon as you look into the distant sky, you do not need a watcher to be alarmed. There is a something approaching from above. But what is it? It looks like a ... a flying mountain! Imagine that some titan or god ripped a mountain out of the earth and set it floating aloft in the skies. The mountain in the sky is titanic, a seemingly endless crag of rock floating impossibly above.
And then you realize there is more, stunningly more. There are dwellings carved into the sides of the rock! An enormous complex of wooden buildings, platforms, cranes, pulleys and ramps seems to entirely circumvent the inverted mountain about its middle. And above that what looks like a city, but a city unlike any they have ever seen! Gleaming spires, hundreds of fluttering flags, countless buildings, astonishing in their exotic beauty. Can such a thing truly exist?
But there is still more. You see a fleet of flying things surrounding the mountain, like flies buzzing around a dung-pile. There are giant orbs, and smaller craft like the ones that attacked you.
The flying mountain is still miles away, but its progress is swift and inexorable.
[OOC: I'll post again for Jet after his post -- but I have errands today, so I'm not sure when. Feel free to make multiple posts now and through the end of the game. I anticipate we will transition to the new combo game a week from Monday.]
Jet Stormway (AC:22 HP:28(1)/36 ; Bantom AC:19 HP:46(1)/51) Entropic Shield, Magic Weapon Friday February 5th, 2010 11:20:46 AM
ooc: I don't have time to respond to all of the above until tomorrow. :(
Cayzle Notes: No prob! Same thing happens to me sometimes.
Alexi (AC: 20, HP:34/34) Lobo (AC: 19, HP:33/37) Friday February 5th, 2010 10:37:51 PM
OOC: I'm thinking. Will post after I've thought some. :)
Alexi (AC: 20, HP:34/34) Lobo (AC: 19, HP:37/37) Sunday February 7th, 2010 10:53:26 PM
The week passes and Alexi insures that watches are kept at all times, day and night. He also doubles up on the militia training with bows and shield and spear. He also has all the spare food moved to the dwarven mine.
At the sight of the new threat, a whole city, floating in the sky, coming their way, he does not think they have the force to fight it off.
"I suggest we make a stand in the mines. Move everyone to the mines and we make a stand at the dwarven wall first, then retreat to the mine gates. I think that is our best defense. What all we have out here can be replaced."
Keela Monday February 8th, 2010 12:26:11 AM
Keela frowns a little at Alexi's suggestion. "I think most of the men will want to at least try to defend what they have built here," she says. "Perhaps send the children, the injured, the elderly and infirm into the mines, along with any adults who care to go. The rest can make a stand here before retreating into the mines."
Jet Stormway (AC:22 HP:28(1)/36 ; Bantom AC:19 HP:46(1)/51) Entropic Shield, Magic Weapon Monday February 8th, 2010 10:28:02 AM
Jet doesn't like the situation one bit. he takes the butt chewing from Garth he deserves but who could have anticipated the flying machines and the way they would attack?
"We need ballistas and catapults it seems, as well as burning flasks of oil for those on the walls."
When asked about the dwarves for reserves he just shrugs. If we were actually getting invaded, they would have been a nasty little surprises, but since they were just out for a snack, I see your point."
The week goes by slowly for Jet...
ooc: I will see you all in a week. :)
DM Cayzle - The Mountain Comes Closer Monday February 8th, 2010 3:02:20 PM
After the first attack is repulsed, Alexi makes sure the watches are vigilant, and gets the food moved into the mines. Jet suggests siege engines, but no one knows how to make or run them.
And then the nature of the coming threat is made clear. An actual mountain, uprooted and lofted into the air, is floating closer and closer. Presently, the rate of its approach becomes clear: It will arrive in an hour. Of course, the many magical craft flying around the airborne city-state might land earlier.
Alexi is clear-eyed about the threat. Against such a foe, how can the little hamlet hope to stand? He urges everyone to fall back.
But Keela is not convinced. She thinks the people will not want to leave their homes undefended, especially after fighting so hard -- and seeing three defenders in their graves -- to save them.
There is no argument about the children and adults with no fighting skill. They all retreat to the mine.
Of the 12 militia still alive, all of whom were wounded just a few days ago, none are willing to hold the outer wall, and only four will hold the inner wall. Eight refuse, and say they will defend the mine from inside the mine.
Of the ten archers (first level warriors), four are willing to hold the outer towers, and four are willing to hold the inner towers. Two retreat back to the mine.
Dwain, the dwarf leader, Durak, the cleric, and six dwarves will hold the inner wall.
The druid decides to retreat to the mines because he has an obligation to protect the artifact that has fertilized this valley.
Garth gets angrier and angrier as only four archers are willing to defend the wall. "You cowards!" he shouts. "We can't just let them walk in here!"
"They can fly!" shouts a farmer.
"We can't just let them fly in here!" retorts Garth.
Jet Stormway (AC:22 HP:28(1)/36 ; Bantom AC:19 HP:46(1)/51) Entropic Shield, Magic Weapon d20+5=7 ; d20+7=24 ; d20+3=13 ; Monday February 8th, 2010 7:08:59 PM
If anyone refuses orders, Jet gets down right mean! He will treat them like traitors and may even execute one if he has to, but for them to not fight will definetley be an issue with Jet!
Diplomacy: 7 Intimidate: 24 Bluff: 13
All as needed!
See you all next week.
Alexi (AC: 20, HP:34/34) Lobo (AC: 19, HP:37/37) Monday February 8th, 2010 9:47:37 PM
Alexi is disappointed in the ones that choose not to fight but let's them go. Who is he to order someone to die?
"Defending the outer wall is out of the question, even with all our men fighting. We had a tough time with the few that came on the scouting trip as it was. Concentrating our efforts on the inner wall will allow our spell casters to hit their targets without moving about much.
"I like Jet's idea of the burning oil, but we need our arrows dipped in the oil and lit as we fire them. Have those that are not going to fight make cloth wrappings for the arrows and soak them in oil.
"Stablehands! Get all horses inside the mine!"
Alexi sets about organizing the archers and militiamen along the inner wall. "Stay until you hear the Order to retreat, then beat it to the mine entrance," he orders. And takes up a spot with a group of archers, his 'trusty' bow ready with oil soaked arrows ready and a torch in reach.
OOC: don't know how many of these arrows can be made ready but I figure 3-5 each is a good number. May not even get to shoot that many. :(
Keela Tuesday February 9th, 2010 12:10:57 AM
"I agree. Let us concentrate on defending the inner wall. Walls mean nothing to these flying people anyway."
"And if we cannot save the crops in the fields, we should try to save as many seeds as we can. Without crops or seeds, the farmers won't be able to raise anything."
DM Cayzle - The Enemy You Face Tuesday February 9th, 2010 5:09:06 PM Jet's anger is as fierce as Garth's when he hears some of the fighters and all the militia say they will fall back to the mine. Alexi is clearly disappointed too.
Garth scowls, but says that he will not order anyone to fight. "This is looking like a grim situation, and we need brave people to hold back the tide while the rest escape. I only want volunteers."
These words, appealing to a better nature, and laying out plain the stakes involved, inspire all 10 of the archers to stay out fighting. Alexi helps order the defense as best he can. Two archers stay out at the gate towers to report what is going on. Alexi sets the rest, with the Dwarves, on the wall and towers.
There are four archers in each tower. Six dwarves, plus Dwain and Durak, are on the walls.
With Keela's encouragement, people hurry like ants to grab their most important belongings, including seeds and tools that could be used to start over.
Alexi orders the horses to enter the mines, but they are not happy to leave the sunlight. "I have a bad feeling about this," says Bantom.
When the great floating mountain is about a mile off, three huge round floating orbs -- each one easily a couple hundred feet across, in brilliant blue, red, and green -- launch off from the flying city and float down to the ground. From a tower, you get a report that large and small creatures are debarking from the orbs, specifically, from huge wagons dangling under them.
After a little while, the creatures leaving the floating orbs start advancing on the settlement. Some time after that, you get a report that tells you what you are facing.
Two vast, hill-giant-size lizard men are in the lead. Each is at least ten or twelve feet tall, and looks that wide. Following them are ten smaller versions of these lizards, maybe seven feet tall. If you could see the humor in it, you might think of two mama bullfrogs, walking with five baby frogs behind. But in fact, the power of these lizards is clearly cast. Each of these plate-armored large lizards carries a tower shield, holding it in one hand to provide total cover as they slowly advance. Together, the 12 lizards are carrying what looks like a tree, shod in iron at one end, clearly a mammoth battering ram.
Behind them are at least 20 lizards of the kind you fought before, all with crossbows. Beside the larger lizards, these look positively scrawny.
Finally, to the rear, there is another huge lizard, but of another race entirely. Either it has a really long tail, or it is half snake.
The invaders are moving slowly, burdened with heavy armor, shields, and ram. They will reach the outer gate in about ten minutes.
Five of the crossbow-lizards fan out to the north, and five to the south, moving much more quickly. They would be a hurdle if you wanted to make a break for it. The other ten stay close to the snake-lizard.
Seeing all this, the blood drains from Garth's face. He grips his weapon with grim determination.
Dwain, on the other hand, runs into the mines. "Hold fast, boys!" he shouts over his shoulder. "I'll be back for the fireworks!" Little does he know how prophetic his words are.
Jet Stormway (AC:22 HP:28(1)/36 ; Bantom AC:19 HP:46(1)/51) Entropic Shield, Magic Weapon Tuesday February 9th, 2010 5:22:01 PM
Watching the flights and landings, Jet looks thoughtfull for a moment. "Hey all what is the chance that we could capture one of those flying things and use it to our advantage?"
Post by Kent
Alexi (AC: 20, HP:34/34) Lobo (AC: 19, HP:37/37) Tuesday February 9th, 2010 9:35:12 PM
Alexi smiles at Jet, "Yeah, and we really know how to make one of those things go where we want it to."
Alexi makes a gamble. He suggests to Garth, "I'll take the ten archers to the front gates and kill as many as we can before the gates give, then hightail it back here. We'll time it so we have a few moments to spare. It appears they move slowly anyway. If we can kill some of those carrying the battering ram at the front gate, it will give us a better chance to fend them off here."
OOC: Ten minutes is 60 rounds. We should be able to get into position in plenty of time.
IC: Alexi takes the ten archers to the front wall and has them divided equally in the two gate towers. "Now, everyone fire at the same target. When that one is down, move to the next, on my orders."
OOC: If, upon reaching the gate towers, He sees the crossbowlizs, he'll order to start picking them off. If there are too many objections to this, he won't go.
The idea is to time their leaving the towers about two rounds before the gates crumble. But they should get sever shots off as the battering ram approaches. Once retreating, they will run in formation back part way, turn and fire, run again, turn and fire, etc. until back at the gates.
IC: "We need a couple of scouts watching our flanks. I'd like to send Beren to one side of the town and Caelnin to the other, just to let us know if we are being flanked."
OOC: don't know if you can do this, DM, but it's either militiaman acting as scouts, or these two, and these two have better Spot.
DM Cayzle - Extra Post Tuesday February 9th, 2010 10:42:35 PM
"Alexi, I like your thinking," says Garth, "but they are using Tower Shields for total cover. We cannot do any damage at all to them with weapons as they approach."
OOC rules note: You can use a tower shield to give you total cover as a standard action. That still leaves you with a move action to advance. And with total cover, you are immune to all weapon attacks (but not from attacks with spells).
LOG ON