The Last Paladin IC (Frosty)

[Maquise]

You return to the fort, bringing your new animal companion with you. Gaius has set up a temporary headquarters in the main hall of the fort. He is discussing the orcish and goblin prisoners you've taken.

"My scouts tell me the orcs brought us a great distance; this territory is unfamiliar."

Lyanna, performing some form of alchemical activity in an isolated corner of the room, pauses to speak with you. "I heard about what happened to your friends. I wish I could do more to help; as it is, I'm afraid I'm fairly useless." She pauses for a moment. "You wouldn't happen to have any old ruins you need explored, do you?"

[Frosty]

Karrin looks away for a moment, not wanting the others to see her saddened face. Composing herself, she turns back to the others. "Thank you. I believe that Mirabell is not dead yet, and I wish to track her down and rescue her. You wouldn't happen to be any good at tracking, or know any old ruins with orc-bane weapons would you?"

[Maquise]

Lyanna looks through her gear, consulting books and scrolls. She perks up as she reads a particular passage.

"Aha! During the Marastriannan dynasty, there was a tribe of human barbarians known as the Skalven. Contemporaries of this very fort's original constructors, they fought alongside-" she stops as she looks at you. "Sorry. To make a long story short, the last chief had a magic sword that, amongst other things, was especially deadly to orcs. It is likely still entombed with him, not far from here. Very fortunate, indeed."

[Frosty]

"I prefer lances, but I suppose a good sword is fine too. Thank you for bringing it to my attention. And of course...other...treasures we find I will be happy to split with you equitably. You'll have more than earned it." The next day, they set off for the ruins. She asks about Lyanna's combat capabilities and experience.

[Maquise]

She shrugs. "I learned dueling from private tutors hired by my father. It was one of the best things he ever gave me. Still, I'd rather not test it out on orcs. Normally, I try to avoid a direct confrontation."

As you prepare to leave, Lyanna examines your horse. "That is a beautiful animal," she says appreciatively.

[Frosty]

The paladin nods as she mounts her steed. "I think this is the Three Throne's way of showing their...approval or some such. I think I shall name it...Trombe."

ooc - is the horse male or female?

[Maquise]

(Male. Also, don't forget you have spells; if you want, you can RP your preparation ritual.)

You depart at once; in gratitude, Gaius gave you ten day's worth of supplies. Lyanna directs you over the plains. The plains give way to a nasty bog.

You stop as Trombe's hooves splash cold, rotten-smelling mud up the saddle. He snorts, tossing his mane about, glancing to both sides.

You look behind you. Lyanna blinks, looking at her map.

[Frosty]

(I've had spells. I just haven't decided which extra spell to prepare today. I'll decide soon)

Karrin recites a string of prayers for about 15 minutes while riding, seeking the strength to overcome her obstacles and give aid to her fellow people. She stops well before the plains gives way to nasty bog.

"Whooooa! This is some nasty ground here. Lyanna, is this the best way to get to the ruins?"

[Maquise]

Lyanna quizzically examines her map. She turns it over, and several other directions. "This doesn't make any sense," she mutters.

She dismounts, and carefully makes her way to a large, flat stump. Sitting down, she begins to remove some books and go over them in more detail, murmuring about poor light.

Suddenly, a pair of vines whip out from the undergrowth. One of them strike Lyanna down, and wraps tightly around her. "Help me!"

INIT:
Karrin: (d20+1)[13]
Lyanna: (d20+2)[19]
Shambler: (d20)[16]

[Maquise]

Lyanna struggles against the vine, trying to get loose. You make out the moving mass of plant fully now, enough to strike at it.

[Frosty]

ooc - Is there a map? And does the terrain allow for Trombe to charge?

[Maquise]

Map is here. Once again, grey squares are difficult terrain, black is impassable.

[Frosty]

Karrin Ye
HP: 60/60  AC: 18  Saves: 11F / 7R / 7W
Conditions:  Charging

Trombe
HP: ??/??  AC: 15  Saves: 11F / 10R / 6W
Conditions:  Charging.  Karrin's Shining Knight archetype allows her to
share her CHA-to-Saves ability with her mount, so Trombe's saves are
pretty good too.

"Lyanna, hang in there! Trombe, let's move."

With that, the lady knight in shining armor (albeit muddied) spurs her steed into action, charging forward with lance in hand.

Spoiler

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Full-Round Action: Charge the Shambler, and use Ribe-by-Attack to keep going and stop with Trombe occupying the squares 0J, 1J, 0K, 1K
Attack (+2 Charge): [roll0]
Damage (x3 from Spiried Charge with lance): [roll1]

Questions:

Spoiler

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1) Do I take max HP for my mount as well or do you want me to roll for each Animal Companion HD?

2) In the rules it says

If your mount charges, you also take the AC penalty associated with a charge. If you make an attack at the end of the charge, you receive the bonus gained from the charge. When charging on horseback, you deal double damage with a lance (see Charge).

This means that the mount clearly has to charge in order for the rider to charge, which makes sense, and I've included the AC penalty for both rider and mount into the stat blocks above. The question here is: Does the mount get an attack as well? By definition, if you are charging, you MUST attack something, or you are just performing a double-move. So, should Trombe get an attack (probably a Bite attack) during the charge right after Karrin stabs with the lance and before the Ride-by-Attack takes them both out of range?

The benefits of Ride-by-Attack is as follows for reference:

Benefit: When you are mounted and use the charge action, you may move and attack as if with a standard charge and then move again (continuing the straight line of the charge). Your total movement for the round can't exceed double your mounted speed. You and your mount do not provoke an attack of opportunity from the opponent that you attack.

This basically just says that you make a normal charge and then you get another move action to keep on moving in the straight line, subject to the distance restriction. Shouldn't change whether or not a mount can (or indeed, *must*) attack as part of the charge.

[Frosty]

Let's try those rolls again:
Attack (+2 charge): (1d20+11)[15]
Damage (x3 from Spirited Charge + Lance): (3d8+12)[26]

[Maquise]

You gallop past the shambler, but the growth is so thick that your lance scratches off the surface.

The shambler forces Lyanna to the ground, pinning her. Lyanna's attempt to break free is useless.

Spoiler

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1. Yes, your mount gets full HP.
2. According to the messageboards, if Ive read them correctly, you need to succeed a DC 10 Ride check for both of you to attack in the same turn. That's how I'm going to rule it.

[Frosty]

Karrin Ye
HP: 60/60  AC: 18  Saves: 11F / 7R / 7W
Conditions:  Charging

Trombe
HP: 55/55  AC: 15  Saves: 11F / 10R / 6W
Conditions:  Charging

"Damn, its hide is tough. Another pass! Trombe, you bite it too!"

Karrin turns Trombe around, and tries to find a better angle to stick her lance from as she charges forward. Unfortunately, she was unable to do so.

Spoiler

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Karrin has a +9 mod to Ride, so she auto-passes the DC10 Ride check

Full-Round Action: Charge the Shambler, and use Ride-by-Attack to keep going, with Trombe occupying 12J to 13K
Attack (+2 Charge): (1d20+11)[15]
Damage (x3 from Spiried Charge with lance): (3d8+12)[25]

Trombe's charge attack (Bite) on the Shambler:
Attack (+2 Charge): (1d20+9)[11]
Damage: (1d4+5)[8]

[Maquise]

Once again, you fail to severely damage the plant-thing's anatomy.

"Karrin! Hu-URk" The vines around Lyanna's form tighten, crushing the life out of her petite body. With a great bit of luck, though, she manages to squeeze out of the death-grip, and withdraws away from the creature towards you.

[Frosty]

Karrin Ye
HP: 60/60  AC: 20  Saves: 11F / 7R / 7W
Conditions:

Trombe
HP: 55/55  AC: 17  Saves: 11F / 10R / 6W
Conditions:

"Thank the Thrones you got out. Hang on tight!" Realizing that there's actually no need to killing this shambling mound, Karrin leans down and pulls Lyanna onto the saddle behind her. "Trombe, time to go! We'll find a safer place to look at the maps."

Spoiler

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Karrin:
Standard(?) action: Pick up Lyanna and put her onto saddle

Trombe:
Double-moves away to find a safe place.

[Maquise]

Your steed carries the two of you from the scene of the attack. The creature pursues you for a short while, but cannot move fast enough to overtake you, and gives up the chase.

Lyanna holds herself as you ride; you can clearly see bruising on her neck where the vines held her. After a while, you find a dry clearing in the marsh. Making sure there are no more unwanted surprises, you dismount and the three of you search. Finding nothing, Lyanna sits down and, rubbing her neck, chanting a few words lyrically. Her eyes glow bright and the purple splotches on her neck shrink in size, but you can tell she's still battered.

[Frosty]

Karrin sighs as she dismount. Petting Trombe's flank, she tells her mount, "Keep an eye out on things, boy. Neigh if you see anything dangerous."

Seeing that Lyanna's neck is still hurting, the paladin extends a glowing hand, and places it gently upon the elf's collar bone area, soothing it. "I take it the way to the ruins do not involve bogs filled with death vines?"

Spoiler

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Trombe has a Perception of +5. Much better than that of Karrin.
Lay on Hands on Lyanna: (2d6)[2][5](7)

[Maquise]

She sighs as you heal her wounds. Breathing easier, she looks at the map again.

"This doesn't make any sense," she says. "There isn't supposed to be a bog here at all. According to my research, this land should still be plains. I can't find any of the proper landmarks."

[Frosty]

"Err...how long ago were the maps made? Perhaps the plains could've changed into bogs over hundred or thousands of years? Or perhaps demonic energies could transform terrain?"

This is really not Karrin's field of expertise, but she tries to approach this from the angle of corrupt powers from the lower planes. She thumbs through "Dispensing Justice on Fiends, a treatise" and see what she can find.

Knowledge (The Planes) (+11 bonus. +2 MW tool): (1d20+13)[33]

[Maquise]

Lyanna's expression darkens into one of forlornness. "Of course. Magical alterations to the landscape. I should've realized that." She bows her head. "Now how are we supposed to find it? It might not even-"

You locate a particular piece of knowledge in your book.

"While corrupt energies can dramatically alter the environment of a region, any consecrated or holy location will remain unaffected by the change, and in fact could become even more potent oases of sanctuary in the event of such a catastrophe." You don't know much about these ancient Skalven, but you intuit that their burial site may perhaps be sacred enough to resist the alteration.

[Frosty]

"Hmm...I think the burial site itself, where we'd want to umm...recoer the sword and other items, is probably resistant to the changing powers of demonic energy. It's possible I might be able to see it if I fly up. According to your map, how far away should it be from here approximately?"

[Maquise]

(Note: You have consumed 3 rations since you left)

Lyanna examines her map one last time. "Assuming I'm reading this right, it should be about three miles to the east."

[Frosty]

Speaking in Celestial, the paladin intones a prayer, and white feathery wings once again sprout from her back. She flies straight up as far as she can, and looks to the east to try confirm the location of the burial site. If she has time, she also tries to check the geopgraphy in between and try to see if she can find a good way to the site.

Spoiler

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Wings of the Eagle as swift action. Use Run action straight upwards. Look around.

[Maquise]

Flying up, you see a full view of the bog. Taking a few deep breaths of clean, fresh air, you look around and find a perfect circle clear of any growth or dampness. Once again, twilight approaches, and you can see torches visible in the circle. At its center there is a large mound.

[Frosty]

After making note of any creatures she can see within the circle, and any major and obvious obstacles between here and the circle, Karrin flies back down, her wings retracting and then disappearing. "Lyanna, I do indeed see what looks like a burial site to the east. It is strange that there are still torches burning. I guess that place isn't as abandoned as one might expect. Let us go east carefully."

[Maquise]

Lyanna nods, tying her hair into a tight bun. "Not surprising, given the way my luck's been going today."

You take a fairly nonresistant path through the bog to the clearing. As you approach it, though, Trombe grows agitated. He tosses his head about and snorts. Lyanna says, "Maybe I should go ahead and scout? I'm not as noticeable as you, what with the armor and all."

[Frosty]

Karrin nods. "Be careful. I think something up ahead has stirried up Trombe's ire."