Sunless Citadel (IC)

[Jopustopin]

Sir Erky nods with understanding, "Serra and Oren might lend you a dagger?" He looks between the two of them, and the daggers they have resting on their sides.

[Gorgon_Heap]

Oren hands over a dagger.

[RaggedAngel]

Fix accepts the dagger, weighing the heavy-pointed knife in her hands. She looks down on the blade with something like trepidation, though her expression is difficult to read.

After a moment, she hands the dagger back to Oren, shaking her head softly. "No. I thank you, but I cannot accept this. If I am to take lives, it should be as a brute would. With my bare fists and my magic alone. Such is the way of the warforged, for better or worse; and who am I to betray such an illustrious tradition?"

She says the last with a faint bitter irony, and then she reaches into her spell component pouch, drawing out a small lump of cinder. She begins to etch over her arms, swirling designs the evoke a faint tribal essence. She begins to chant, faintly, and her quiet voice mixes with the still air, until the room is filled with the words of her chant, mixing and rebounding upon themselves. She draws two final marks, thick lines of black on her cheeks, and then she brings her fists together with a faint clap of impact.

The lines and designs upon her body flare into a cobalt-blue light, enough to throw out stark shadows across the room. Her eyes burst into light as well, as does the identifying mark on her forehead. After a moment, the glow recedes, but it does not vanish, and the marks shine sharply on her arms.

"Alright," she says, taking a scroll from her belt. "Time is ticking. This infusion is my most powerful, in a way, and it will last for a little under four minutes. Let's make that time count. Sojan, when I signal, please open the door. Everyone, be prepared to begin combat."

She begins casting her spell, weaving faint words and tracing lines on the parchment with her finger. After a few seconds, her eyes snap up, and she nods sharply to Sojan. As he throws open the door, she whips her hand forward, unleashing her spell on the center of the next room. As she does, she takes in as many details of their hosts as possible.

Spoiler

Show

She casts Weapon Augmentation, Personal at +1 CL because she is a Warforged, and with another +1 CL because of her Infuse Self class ability. It takes one minute to cast, and will last four.

She then readies an action to cast Obscuring Mist as Sojan opens the door, and then she signals him to do so. She is centering the spell twenty feet away from herself into the middle of the cultists, if possible. It will last one minute.

Use Magic Device, DC 21: (1d20+15)[30]

[King Tius]

Sojan switches his aura to the one that imbues his allies with damage resistance before readying his morningstar and throwing open the door.

[Goldfly]

Emlyn draws his longsword and moves into position, a grim expression on his face. "And into the fire we go..."

[Jopustopin]

The Children of Khyber

The room looks like something out of a nightmare. The stone walls have been painted with what looks to be blood. A lot of blood. With it's raised ceiling the place looks like it was at one point a gods honest cathedral. No more, now it is the sleeping area of the bulk of the tribe. What was once the alter has been transformed into a sacrificial slab. A corpse rests upon it, a kobold by the looks of it. Freshly dead. In the sickening light dozens of goblins go about their daily business, which seems to be sleeping, preparing food, arguing, eating, sleeping, fighting, sharpening weapons, sneaking, sleeping, shouting, speaking in tounges, fighting, scarring themselves, and performing lewd acts with the corpse on the stone slab.

There are more goblins that you can count and when you kick open the door for the briefest moment you have an entire room full of goblins stare dumbly at you. In that moment you all act.


Combat

Spoiler

Show

You all get partial actions in the surprise round


Initiative:

Spoiler

Show

Don'Moar (1d20+1)[18]
Emlyn (1d20-1)[12]
Erky (1d20-2)[13]
Fix (1d20+3)[22]
Oren (1d20+2)[22]
Serra (1d20+2)[16]
Sojan (1d20+1)[15]

Map:

Spoiler

Show

---

* post roll count doesn't match database

[Jopustopin]

Surprise Round Initiative:


Oren 22
Don'Moar 18
Serra 16
Fix 16
Sojan 15
Sir Erky 13
Emlyn 12 <--- Your turn

[RaggedAngel]

Biological beings say that before they die, their lives flash before their eyes. That saying meant little to Fix; though it wasn't true of all warforged, she had a perfect memory, and she could remember every moment of her life since the moment she had stepped out of the Creation Forge. She recalled the first sight of Merrix d'Cannith as if it were happening before her, and she recalled every conversation and tutoring session she had with the man.

She recalled Fist, her one and only friend back inside Merrix's secret laboratories, a massive warforged juggernaut with the mind of a child and the heart of a saint. She remembered the experimentation forced on Fist, experimentation that she was occasionally obliged to personally witness. And participate in, on occasion. She remembered the incredible strength her friend had held, and the fact that he would not use that strength to harm anything, even his captors and torturers.

She remembered wishing that she could cry. Then wishing that she could kill Merrix. And when she realized that would be impossible, she sought to escape. And escape she did, but it was at a horrible price; Fist was left behind.

Her thoughts went down that path, in the moment that the door opened, because of the last words Fist has spoken to her, the night that she fled. The night that she tried to take him with her, only to learn that his holding pen was locked well enough to surpass her rudimentary abilities.

It had taken ten minutes, but Fix finally gave up working at the lock. The adamantine panel simply was not going to budge, and she had nearly destroyed her hard-earned metal splinters she had worked into mostly functional lockpicks.

"I'm so sorry," she breathed through the barred window into the cell. "I can't do it, Fist. I don't know how to open this cell. I'm afraid that I won't be able to let you out." There was a stirring inside, and a massive face with a heavy iron jaw pressed against the bars. It would have shocked her, were it not for the fact that he had become quite used to the terrifying visage, and she had complete faith in the personality behind the fearsome image.

"No sorry, Fix." The juggernaut spoke slowly, and with a monotone. He was a very intelligent example of his kind, which meant that his mind was childlike at best. "No sad. And no fear."

Fix looked down in shame. "But I am afraid, Fist. Afraid of what they're going to do to you. They've already forced those... those spikes on you, made them burst out of your surface. What next? I heard rumors of an all-adamantine covering, and the kind of pain that would put you through..." She peters off, her head still bowed.

"Fix, do not fear. Not for Fist. And not for Fix." The juggernaut seemed completely unworried, though he also seemed to grasp the situation at hand. "Why shouldn't I worry, Fist? I'm leaving tonight, and I don't know what's out there. I just know that there's an entire world that I have never seen, and that I refuse to be a prisoner any longer. No matter how polite they are on the surface, I know what I am. I'm an experiment, and they're waiting for me to show them results.

And if I don't give them the results they want? If I can't? I don't know the circumstances of my creation, but Merrix only runs the forge for very specific purposes. He does not create run-of-the-mill warforged anymore. And as much as I would like to think my mind makes me exceptional, that simply isn't the case. I know, deep down, that there was another element to my creation. And when that element does or does not bear fruit?

The experiment will be over. And I will be a walking, talking, thinking liability. A problem, with a simple solution. They will kill me, Fist. And I am worried that when your body cannot take any more, they will kill you."

The juggernaut watched and listened quietly and attentively, though Fix knew that he would understand little of her emotional diatribe. When she finished, he remained still for another long moment, before finally speaking. "No sorry, Fix. No fear. Fix is the strongest warforged Fist knows. Stronger than Fist. You will go out, and not die. Fist will stay. Will hurt. But Fist will not die; does not want to."

A resolution washed over the juggernaut's face, something Fix had never seen there before. "You live, because you are strong. Stronger than Fist. And Fist live, because Fist strong. Stronger than anyone else. Go, Fix. Go, and prove you are strong." It was the most she had ever heard the warforged juggernaut say at a single time, and Fix found herself unable to reply. Instead she looked Fist in the eye one last time, and then she ran. She ran until a human would have collapsed, and then she kept running, for days and days. But no matter how far she ran, she could not escape the shame of leaving a gentle soul behind to become either killed, or hardened by the blood of his captors.

Fix raises her hand, casting the readied Obscuring Mist into the center of the room. The mist leaps out, filling the massive hall with opaque clouds. "Do not run. If we run, we die. We will kill them until they break. And when they run, they will die." Her voice is hard, and sharp, and utterly without fear. The runes on her arms and face burn with a cold blue light; and her eyes burn with a different kind of light. For you, Fist. I will be strong for you, so that one day I may repay the strength that you gave to me that night. I will live, because I still owe you for the courage it took to break free.

Spoiler

Show

This is just about the most roleplaying I've ever put in a single post.

What she is trying to say, from a tactical standpoint: the idea of closing the door and running is an attractive one, but ultimately a lethal decision. They know this area much, much better than we do, and they move at the same speed we do. If we turn and run, they will pursue us and kill us all by shooting us in the backs or breaking us apart. By remaining in a single unit, and forcing them through a narrow entrance, we are maximizing our strength and minimizing their support of numbers.

She is going to put the Obscuring Mist somewhere around G-H/10-11; whichever square that is visible from a corner of her square and from which a 20ft radius will cover the most area. The UMD for her scroll is in my above post, and it succeeded. She then readies an action to hit the first thing through the door, since casting the spell was itself a readied action.
(This is only the case if readying actions does not hurt her high initiative; I forget your ruling on readying actions vs delaying.)

[Gorgon_Heap]

Seeing such terrible thing in the room beyond and the likelihood none of them will see another day, Oren hesitates for aheartbeat before throwing her weapon ... and even as she does so and reaches for an arrow, she feels chills at Fix's words and emotionless tone.

So many things to see to here ... and now Fix. Flame, but she wants to help, but there's no time.




OOC: We're stiull throwing those acid bonbs first, yeah? Or did we change plans?

[Jopustopin]

Oren acts before Fix uses Obscuring Mist:

Oren throws her acid flask at the hobgoblin near the door.

Ranged Touch Attack: (1d20+1)[8][sup](+2 dex, +1 BAB, -2 R.I.) for (1d6)[4] points of damage.

If it misses: (1d8)[2]

Oren you wouldn't want to use an action point by some chance... You know... before I tell you whether you hit or miss.

Or were you aiming for a grid location to hit as many enemies as you can?

[Gorgon_Heap]

I thought the whole idea was to hit as many as possible. We know there's a lot of them in there - isn't that why we're attacking with our only splash weapons first?

[Jopustopin]

Oren

Spoiler

Show

Please read the rules on acid flasks and the difference between targeting one opponent (which causes splash damage to those surrounding him) and targeting a grid square (which is easier to hit but only causes splash damage to those around it). I can't tell what you're doing from your first post and your second post didn't answer either of my questions and didn't really tell me anything different than your first post. I am keeping your action as is since that's how I interpret what Oren was doing. If I was mistaken, in the future indicate exactly what you're doing (I.E. I'm targeting Grid Intersection F9/G10)

Sojan leans towards Fix allowing a shot to his left. Oren tries to throw her acid flask between that space but it clips the wall as it passes through the doorway sending a burst of acid and glass on Sojan and Emlyn, and the goblins in J9 and J11. Sojan and Emlyn take 1 point of acid damage.

Don'Moar sails overhead flying into the room, and circling up to gain some altitude. Don'Moar ends at D10 +25.

[King Tius]

Sojan sees the door open and shakes his head, dropping into a deeper stance. "By the gods, there's plenty enough for everyone. Come on you little buggers, see if you can hit me!"

He raises his shield and bangs his morningstar against it.

Surprise Round Action (regardless of what else happens): Total Defense (+4 AC)

[RaggedAngel]

The DR aura should still prevent Acid damage, unless I'm very mistaken.

[Jopustopin]

The DR aura should still prevent Acid damage, unless I'm very mistaken.

That would be acid resistance.

[RaggedAngel]

That would be acid resistance.

Hey look, I was mistaken. Apologies.

[Jopustopin]

Serra chucks her acid flasks at the hobgoblin in J9.

Ranged touch attack: (1d20+3)[10] vs touch AC
For (1d6)[1] points of acid damage.

on Miss: (1d8)[2]
Sojan and Emlyn, and the goblins in J9 and J11 take 1 point of acid damage.

[Jopustopin]

Sir Erky presses his hand on the back of Sojan and murmurs a prayer to the Silver Flame, "If you fall, we all fall."

Spoiler

Show

Sir Erky cast lesser vigor on Sojan

Emlyn it's your turn and Fix's obscuring mist has caused every enemy to vanish in the cloud.

[Goldfly]

Emlyn pauses for a moment, unable to see the goblins. He then begins to chant in Elvish, causing his party members to feel a boost of courage and strength flow through them.

Spoiler

Show

Too late to come up with a story, so chanting instead.
Emlyn uses two Action Points to gain a use of Inspire Courage.

[Jopustopin]

Shock griped your mind when you saw what you were up against. The dim lighting was enough to see countless hunched humanoids, dirty, ugly things crawling around in filth, gore, and decay. Muttering incomprehensibly to themselves; insane.

Time seemed to slow down as you stood momentarily stunned by how many you were up against. In that briefest moment countless thoughts danced across your mind although what they were wouldn't be recalled until much later. In the dim light you watched as the nearest goblin's eyes slowly focused on the group. He stared at you forever; it's face was scarred and ugly and without comprehension.

If shock was the lightning, fear was the thunder. It snapped you violently out of the stasis of the moment and time seemed to rush forward as if catching up to where it should have been.

Sojan raised his shield and banged his morningstar against it. Planted firmly in the doorway he had given Oren little room to throw her flask and the vial had caught the wall on the left side exploding violently into a noxious cloud of acid and glass. Serra's vial was thrown immediately behind it and seemed to explode even before hitting anything when it came into contact with the first vial's eruption. Acid mists burned onto Sojan and Emlyn's exposed skin and as you look to see how the goblin's fared an obscuring mist enveloped the room. Your enemy had vanished from your sight as if they were never there.

"Do not run. If we run, we die. We will kill them until they break. And when they run, they will die." Fix had uttered fearlessly.

The first insane cry came from the obscured room. Followed quickly by several more. It was an evil, unnatural sound that sent your heart racing. Though nothing could be seen through the mist, sound came unblocked. Over three dozens picked up the dissonant roar. The shouting was nonsense, with pitches ranging across the spectrum of sound. None of the goblins you've encountered had sounded like this and if you were not afraid by the numbers you saw the sounds they made chilled you to the bone. It wasn't just the insanity of it but the anger it would take to cause them to make that kind of noise. One thing was clear: if any goblin didn't know you were here, they did then.

Through the chaos of sound Emlyn's clear voice had broken through your fear and despite the language being foreign to your ears you found yourself filled with hope. At that moment you had become as fearless as your opponents."Oeym laeycla aniraa tyailmaw elane anira elilca lil'am ane maanyml...." Emlyn had began.

Sojan banged his shield once more and shouted out, "By the gods, there's plenty enough for everyone. Come on you little buggers, see if you can hit me!" As if on cue, Don'Moar had flown by, vanishing quickly in the obscuring mist.

Although no one was paying Sir Erky any mind at some point he had placed his hand on Sojan's back and whispered, even if it was to only himself, "If you fall, we all fall."

[Jopustopin]

Round 1

Map

Spoiler

Show

Conditions

Spoiler

Show

Fix infused her arm with goblin bane in round -1
Emlyn used inspire courage in round 0.
Sojan has fast healing 1 for 11 rounds. Cast in round 0.
Obscuring mist was cast in round 0.
Example on how far you can see in the Obscuring Mist: Oren can only see Sir Erky and Serra. She cannot see Sojan.

Initiative
Oren
Goblins
Don'Moar
Goblins
Serra
Fix
Sojan <--- Your Turn
Goblins
Sir Erky
Goblins
Emlyn
Goblins

[Jopustopin]

Combat

Spoiler

Show

Oren closes her eyes and fires a single shot that vanishes into the fog.
(1d20+4)[13] for (1d8)[7] points of damage.
Miss Chance for concealment (1d100)[36] (1 - 50 miss)

Goblins actions beyond the cloud

Spoiler

Show

A goblin does something
A goblin might be making an attack
A goblin might be making an attack
Another goblin is doing something... insane!
A goblin screams loudly
A goblin is doing something that will end all of you
A goblin hahaha laughs insanity!
A goblin does something...
Another goblin begins to cry loudly but in a screaming/anger sorta way
Oo smart goblin does smart sneaky things.

Dragon roar! Screams of pain.. probably ice breath! Terrin it up!
Probably attackers attacking back

Sojan/Emlyn/Fix (What you can see)

Spoiler

Show

A small scrawny goblin comes barreling forward and leaps at Sojan unarmed and unarmored.
Unarmed Strike (1d20)[19] for (1d2)[2] points of damage.
Miss due to Total Defense action taken by Sojan.


The armored hobgoblin, probably the one hit by acid, comes barraging forward throwing his entire body weight into Sojan. Bullrush attempt.

Bullrush requires opposed strength checks. Sojan you can make the roll, tell me if you're using an action point, and then I'll tell you if you win or not.

All of you, with some difficulty, can pick out the sound of Don'Moar's breath weapon and some screams turn into the sound of pain briefly.

Next Action Required:

Spoiler

Show

Sojan makes an opposed strength check with Hobgoblin < --- Waiting
DM adjudicates the bullrush
DM Adjudicates some other things
Serra's Turn.

[King Tius]

Sojan's Strength check to oppose the bull rush attempt: (1d20+3)[6]

I am NOT going to use an Action Point. The hobgoblin pushing Sojan back 5 feet should make him easier for others to hit.

[Jopustopin]

Hobgoblin's opposed strength check
(1d20+1)[5]
Hobgoblin falls prone in K9.

[Jopustopin]

Serra pulls out her heavy crossbow and fires at the goblin standing in the doorway.
(1d20+4)[22] for (1d10+1)[8] points of damage.
(1d100)[96] (Miss 1 - 20)
(1d100)[56] (Bolt breaks 1 - 50)

Goblin in K9 falls unconscious. Hobgoblin is prone in K9. Another goblin appears in K10 unarmored and unarmed.

Fix's turn.

[RaggedAngel]

Fix swings her glowing fist down on the prone hobgoblin in front of Sojan, attempting to crush the warrior before he can stand. "Sojan, you may want to back up a step!"

Attack: (1d20+5)[25]
Damage: (1d4+4)[8] + (2d6)[8]

[RaggedAngel]

Good way to start a fight.

Crit Confirmation: (1d20+5)[21]
Critical Damage: (1d4+4)[8]

[Jopustopin]

Fix confirms critical. Hobgoblin is really dead.

Sojan's turn. You gain 1 hit point at the start of your turn. The only goblin you can see is in K10. He is unarmored and unarmed.

[King Tius]

Sojan lets out a hearty laugh as the meaty hobgoblin bounces off his shield and falls prone. "Ha! Picked that trick up from a Dwarf named Durvim years ago. Get him!" Before he has a chance to react Fix brings her magical meat tenderizer fists in to finish the job. The dragon shaman can't help but curse softly in surprise as bits of hobgoblin brain matter spray up onto him. Realizing a smaller target is in reach, Sojan takes a swing at the goblin in K10 before falling back to create the meat grinder.

Attack: (1d20+4)[24]
Damage: (1d8+3)[7]

Move to M9.

[King Tius]

CHOO CHOO CRIT TRAIN

Crit Confirmation: (1d20+4)[23]
Crit Damage: (1d8+3)[10]