IC V Against the Current

[CoffeeIncluded]

Natalia grins, flipping her weapons in her hands for a better grip. If the tiger can't see her coming, then this should be much easier. Still, she feels a twinge of guilt, and hopes she won't have to actually kill the beast, merely wound it, scare it off.

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Does the tiger get another round of movement? Because I think we're on round 2 and the tiger only moved once.

[Admiral]

The tiger roars, disoriented- between the arrows, the fearsome cloud of knives, and the painful blindness, it had clearly not expected this kind of defense. It takes a few steps back, still facing the party and snarling.

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That's its round- back to the party. It's blind (therefore flatfooted) and Unsettled, until Shiny goes (so he'll go last )

Oh, right, achinca mentioned Miriam's next move:

Miriam again touches Kurt and grants him a spell of strength.

[CoffeeIncluded]

Natalia asks the party, "Fight or scare?"

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I was expecting it to come closer; I don't want to run into the melee alone and I can't reach it this round anyway. Guys, what do you think I and we should do?

[CoffeeIncluded]

Natalia runs forward, drawing her bow and firing at the tiger. They have a chance to end this now, and she's going to take it. As she fires, she shouts, "BACK OFF!" Her heart is pounding as she races towards those fangs and claws, but she's here, and she won't let anyone get hurt. She won't fail them again.

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Attack: (d20+7)[14]
Crit confirm: (d20+7)[12]
Damage: (d8)[1] plus sneak attack: (2d6)[3]

The total AC loss is 4, 6 if Kurt made him shaken, and he loses the dex bonus too, right?
If I have to use the anklet to get within sneak attack range, so be it. If I can get behind a tree for cover, I do that too.

And of course I roll terribly for damage. Though at least I hit, so I'm not complaining.

And I forgot to roll for intimidate. Can I do that?

[Admiral]

Natalia's bolt lands a shallow blow into the tiger's shoulder.

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She can't get within sneak attack range, he's 70 feet away and Natalia would have to be within 30'.

Where does she want to move?

See map, she deals 4 damage.

[CoffeeIncluded]

Natalia's bolt lands a shallow blow into the tiger's shoulder.

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She can't get within sneak attack range, he's 70 feet away and Natalia would have to be within 30'.

Where does she want to move?

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I think Natalia can. She runs forward and draws her shortbow that she was given during the giant assault, uses the anklet to move the last 10 feet, gets within sneak attack range, and shoots.

Does X25 (by the tree) get me within sneak attack range? If not, then I just get within sneak attack range. Not that it's super important with only 3 damage, but whatever.

Oh, and here's her intimidate check, which probably won't do much at all.

(d20-1)[5]

[Athedia]

Mithril stayed on Honey's back, the horse calmly staring the tiger down. Feeling bad about using a spell on such a helpless creature she quickly cast one of her spells at it, wincing as she knew it would hit.

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MM
1st (1d4+1)[4]
2nd (1d4+1)[4]
3rd (1d4+1)[5]

[Cavelcade]

Assuming Natalia is willing to let him pass, Kurt crashes forward in a manic charge, aiming a vicious strike at the beast to try and further disorient it, but not kill it hopefully.

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Charging from where he is to U20 should put him in range and be withing movement for him.
+2 to hit/-2 AC charge
Power Attack -2/+4

(1d20+12)[20] Attack
(1d20+12)[28] Crit

(3d6+14)[26] Attack
(3d6+14)[28] Crit
(3d6+14)[22] Crit

[CoffeeIncluded]

Natalia rolls out of the way as she sees Kurt charging straight at her like a runaway cart. She winces as the roll tugs and pulls at her raised scar.

[Admiral]

Kurt lands a powerful blow on the beast's neck, and it roars in pain at the injury.

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Incidentally, in response to Coffee's comment earlier about my descriptiveness in combat- I hate to disappoint but I tend not to make very detailed descriptions of combat (for a variety of reasons, one of which is that it can be unnecessarily gruesome and exploitative). My favorite element to write is NPC dialogue, though I do like descriptions of settings as well.

From the place where Shiny had previously stood comes a harsh whisper- "Don't be frightened, just play along-" followed by a few arcane sounds.

In the space between the party and Natalia there appears a new combatant- a human man wearing full plate armor and brandishing a mace. But, like the fearsome dwarf barbarian, the soldier is twice the size of a normal man- the mace he is swinging is the size of a log. He glares towards the tiger with malice.

The tiger slinks away from Kurt's blow, and as he shakes his head he seems to regain his sight. Seeing the enlarged dwarf along with the new combatant, the animal hesitates for a moment, then flees. In mere seconds he is far down the road.

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Withdraw action, he is 80 feet from Kurt. If it matters, the beast is now bloodied- <50% of its HP. Good work.

Don't think I'm giving Shiny too much credit with his last tactic- the only smart thing for the tiger to do was run, and Shiny was just going along with the group's battle plan.

[CoffeeIncluded]

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Even without description, just noting and making fluff that the characters are reacting to their wounds is enough. But no, I understand. I have a tendency to describe injuries, but I think that's just the medic in me.

I also love writing descriptions, especially of food.

Natalia still draws her blades, just in case, but she grins at Kurt, and the illusionary soldier. She offers a wink to Shiny, then scans the area for any other possible danger, or anything else of interest.

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Spot: (d20+9)[28]
Listen: (d20+9)[26]

[Athedia]

Mithril relaxed as the tiger fled and reached up into the cloud of knives. Carefully selecting one that seemed identical to the others she grabbed the handle. All the knives surrounding her merged back to form the dagger she had released into the air. As the others returned to the horses she inserted the dagger back into the wrist sheath and smiled. The tiger had just acted in its nature, and no permanent harm was done.

[Cavelcade]

Kurt cleans the blood off his axe, hoping the wound isn't so deep the tiger will die, at least. Walking back to the horses, he starts leading his - currently a bit too big to go riding.

"Good eyes, Natalia."

[CoffeeIncluded]

Scanning again to make sure nothing else is around, Natalia smiles. "Not just me, Mithril saw too. But...thanks. Not just seeing, but seeing what's not. Breaks in lines, patterns...where shouldn't."

[Admiral]

When the tiger disappears, the giant man turns to the party, and then awkwardly scratches his head with his mace, apparently bored. Moments later, he disappears and the illusionist gnome reappears beside Mithril with a shrug. The party gets back on their horses and continues.

The rest of the day passes without incident. They chose to make camp in one of the last patches of trees before what looks like a vast expanse of sparse grassland. Those on watch can spot small animals on the horizon as dusk falls, and the night is peppered with distant howls.

The next morning they set forth onto the plains. According to the maps they'd obtained in Cardonne, with their bearings the plains would turn into desert within the next two days of travel.

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Spot checks, everyone- I would roll them for you but am heading out on some errands and need to stall for time, and it gives a chance for anyone to describe their journey if they like.

[Cavelcade]

Kurt looks at the map thoughtfully, chewing on his tough jerky as he does so. "Desert, huh? I've never actually seen one of those..." For most of the journey, Kurt had been silent again, for the most part he'd been trying out the new flexibility of that armour he was wearing, twisting, stretching his limbs out, completely amazed at how easy everything is in it.

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(1d20)[15] Listen
(1d20)[11] Spot

His eyes are unfocused as he sits easily, but his ears are tuned in as his body relaxes for the day.

[Athedia]

Mithril nodded, "You may wish to be careful with your new armor, the sun blazes hot and we will have little chance for shade."

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Spot (1d20+3)[15]
Listen (1d20+3)[22]

[CoffeeIncluded]

"Cool mithril, or warm?" Natalia grins at her friend. "Doused water cools? On head, or chest?"

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Can I use my previous spot/listen checks? If not,

Spot: (d20+9)[10]
Listen: (d20+9)[25]

The sun is strong, and screws with her eyes. Natalia wonders if there's something she can use to shield herself from the glare, and also wonders if those with lighter colored eyes have it worse.

"Desert..." She squints, tries to shield her eyes with her spindly hands. "No trees, but sun shields against sight the same."

[achinca]

Miriam is a little chocked when she sees the giant man appears, not sure who it is and if he is a friend or foe. When the tiger flees and Shiny reappears, she understands it was an illusion "Can you be denser than this? If they only knew how little wisdom you have, they would have hired a real cleric from that church that owns you."

The cleric nods as the dire tiger leaves "Good thing we did not have to kill an animal just trying to feed itself or its cubs."

She listens to the rest on the conversation, politely chinning in to let the group knows she is paying attention but her thoughts are all focused on the mark.

[CoffeeIncluded]

Natalia watches as Miriam keeps running her thumb over the brand. She turns back to the others, keeping her eyes lowered against the sun. There's got to be something she can do to help.

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Would Mithril be able toscribe another scroll into her spellbook? Also, my gift idea is no good?

[Admiral]

The party travels across the plains for the rest of the day, pass a night on the lonely grasslands, and then continue the following morning. The trail is still visible but could hardly be called a road. Twice during the day they pass someone going in the opposite direction- two small caravans of three or four wagons each, and one pair of horses led by sunburned humans. In beachoth case the travelers regard them with suspicion, with no interest in making conversation or indeed acknowledging their presence. Each wagon driver has a crossbow laid across his lap, and the party gets the sense that these roads are the territory of bandits.

The grass grows sparser and sparser as the party travels, and the soil turns red before their eyes. At the same time, the flat plains grow hillier, until great rock formations seem to spring out of the ground.

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This is not a Saraha desert, this is an American Southwest desert. See Monument Valley.

Also note that ecosystem transitions are much faster here than they would be on our planet, due to its smaller size and other climatological phenomena, so don't think too much about how many days it takes to travel from woods to desert.

Speaking of which, I'll get a map of the continent up sometime soon.

After a night spent in a cave under these mountains, the party sets off again, expecting to reach Marvell right at nightfall after almost a week's journey.

As the sun reaches its zenith above them, the party yearns for the shade and safety of the city they are approaching, the horses begin to neigh and scratch nervously. The cause could be nearly anything, and it's not the first time on the long journey that they've grown anxious, but then Natalia and Mithril feel a rumbling under the horse's uncertain hooves that seems to be growing closer.

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Once again, Natalia and Mithril win a pre-init round (with Listening standing in for Feeling).

The new map is in my signature.

[Cavelcade]

Kurt has been taking regular drinks from the water pouches on his horse, filling them at every opportunity, the sheer heat of the beating sun tough enough with the additional issues of the armour making things that much warmer and harder to sooth. Still, the sight of the armed caravans has been enough to convince him to keep it on as much as he can - though he'll take it off any chance he gets, when they stop somewhere he feels safe.

Now he's slumped a little in his saddle, his axe in front of him as he sighs, wanting to stop again, but too stubborn to ask.

[Athedia]

Mithril wasted no time casting armor on herself. "Get ready, something is coming and it feels big!" She attempted to move to the left, out of the immediate zone of whatever was coming.

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Ride (Guide with Knees) (1d20+3)[9]

Concentration check vs DC 10 to cast while on a moving horse, Auto pass with modifiers of +12

Spell list the same

Cast Mage Armor

Move to A20 (60 ft of movement w/ light warhorse)

Honey moved to the left as Mithril successfully guided her without hands.

[CoffeeIncluded]

"On ground, waves through earth!" Natalia shouts, brushing her hair out of her eyes, where it has stood in for a hood or visor. She looks around and tries to guide her horse with her knees as she draws her shortbow, following Mithril and trusting her friend's judgment.

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Spot: (d20+9)[16]
Ride: (d20+3)[21]

Try to follow Mithril.

[Admiral]

Natalia scans the mountains around her, but sees nothing, and in a moment she understands why.

From the rocky ground around the party burst three large creatures, looking like enormous, terrifying insects. Each has four grotesque eyes and a pair of fearsome pincers, along with enormous heavy arms. One of the beasts bursts out from right under Kurt's horse, who has to struggle not to topple over.

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Umber Hulks! By about the time you read this they should be on the map.

Kurt has to make a DC 10 Ride check or he and his horse both fall prone from a hulk bursting out under him.

Intiative:
Natalia: (1d20+7)[10]
Mithril: (1d20+2)[4]
Shiny: (1d20+2)[20]
Miriam: (1d20+1)[12]
Kurt: (1d20+2)[9]
UH1: (1d20+1)[5]
UH2: (1d20+1)[15]
UH3: (1d20+1)[9]

Thus block initiative order is:

Shiny
UH2
Miriam, Natalia, Kurt
UH3, UH1
Mithril (second time around will be same block as Shiny)

[Admiral]

Shiny is the first to react- in a blaze of motion he conjures a glittery explosion above the two hulks to his left.

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Glitterdust can hit UH1 and UH2 with no one else. They are flatfooted.

UH1 Will save: [roll]1d20+6[roll]
UH2 Will save: (1d20+6)[16]

[Admiral]

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Messed up the UH1 roll:
(1d20+6)[7]

DC is 17 because they're flatfooted (10+4 Int+Lvl2+1 surprise casting). They're both blinded.

Both of the hulks stagger as the glitterdust fills their eyes, letting out an unnatural screech.

[Admiral]

After Shiny's spell, the gnome's warpony Tinkerbell gets her own chance at the beast in front of her, rising up and attacking with her hooves.

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Two hoof attacks:

Attack: (1d20+3)[6] Critical: (1d20+3)[22] Dmg: (1d3+2)[3]
Attack: (1d20+3)[20] Critical: (1d20+3)[22] Dmg: (1d3+2)[3]

Deal 3 damage to UH3.

Tinkerbell's first hoof misses, but her second strikes the beast in front of her.

[Admiral]

The blinded beast next to Mithril shrieks, and swings his claws and pincers at where he remembered the wizard being.

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UH2 full attack:
Claw: (1d20+11)[25] Crit: (1d20+11)[23] Dmg: (2d4+6)[12] Miss (on 1): (1d2)[1]
Claw: (1d20+11)[15] Crit: (1d20+11)[24] Dmg: (2d4+6)[12] Miss (on 1): (1d2)[2]
Bite: (1d20+9)[13] Crit: (1d20+9)[26] Dmg: (2d8+3)[10] Miss (on 1): (1d2)[1]

The first claw attack swings for where Mithril had been just a moment ago, before the beast was blinded. The second almost hits her but is luckily repelled by the magical armor she had summoned. The disoriented creature's bite goes wide.

[CoffeeIncluded]

Natalia gasps as she sees herself and her friends surrounded by the giant beetle-like creatures. She mentally curses her lack of preparation despite having a warning; she was expecting a far-off stampede. Natalia tries to quickly dismount from her horse, whom she can feel bucking and panicking beneath her.

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Before doing anything else:

Ride: (d20+3)[9]