Enemies can't spend healing surges during combat, but they can spend their (single) healing surge during a short rest, and their encounter powers recharge too.
Alessa also has Resist 2 to Fire, Cold, Lightning and Acid, so that energy orb does even less damage, I think (stacks with Swarm Form, since that's damage reduction, not resist).
I have a standard action spell that creates an expanding cloud of mist; I could use it to try to cover a retreat, if we're worried about our utter lack of healing remaining.
Does Arjhan still have Lay on Hands available? If Mertes potions him awake, then maybe he could use Lay on Hands to heal someone else, if he has it.
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Currently DMing: Heroes on a Sea of Swords - IC - OOC - OOC II
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Arjhan had only rested long enough for me to grant him 1 LOH, and he already used it this fight. The secret conditions for him to be granted the other LOH haven't been met yet.
Minion is definitely dead; Zimelda and Mertes have the +1AC.
Alessa missed everybody but created the zone.
DS1 got hit by the slime, pulled, and brought to 34 damage but it is still barely alive.
Sorry Ted, but giving you a potion right now would be a huge waste of action and healing... because with only 10 HP you'd probably fall again.
I know you have many action yourself, but you'd be prone and not in reach for the nearly dead one.
I prefered to try to finish off (and I was rewarded) the nearly dead defender.
I' also needed the heal as I think the goblin probably will go al out on me :)... thansk for the Ac Zimelda... might make a differecne (Note that I have 18 Ac right now Snow)
How about this. Arjhan hasn't used his scabbard encounter power yet this encounter. If ted had used it earlier, DS1 could be 1 HP away from defeat. How about we borrow a point of damage from the next encounter and kill off DS1 right now?
I made this encounter too hard -- I was supposed to reduce the population of enemies to account for the fact that there's only 4 of you and not 5 as the module is designed for. But I forgot. (I should have had two fewer minions, and only one Quickblade, with the Dragonshields attacking promptly instead of coming in as reinforcements when you're already exhausted.) Thus leading to the dire situation you're in.
It gets worse.
The goblin just used Double Attack on Mertes and rolled a 25 and a 23 to-hit, and a 13 and a 14 for damage. That puts Mertes at -6.
The other Dragonshield used its encounter power on Alessa, and missed -- but that still leaves her Slowed. She cannot escape Irontooth. Even if she double runs, he can keep up with her with move+charge this round, and run+charge in future rounds, making two attacks each round (the charge, plus the OA). He'll take her out in 3 or 4 rounds -- 6 rounds tops if she gets lucky and spends a surge via the racial potion.
Irontooth is barely scratched, and the Wyrmpriest can still take a hit before dying. (I didn't even bother rolling the fire orb)
You'll kill the other dragonshield this round, but there is no realistic way to avoid losing three PCs here. Zimelda can escape by the skin of her teeth with her minions, but I don't want the story to go that way.
So we have to cheat. How do we want to do this? Mukesh to the rescue?
Yeah, I had the impression it would turn out like this (got it confirmed when you charged me for 12 damages with Iron tooth), but my raging barbarian was too deep in at that point. I was hoping you'd miss or roll low on the dual atttack (I kinda guessed when you said he was using two weapons).
Well I dont know that story at all, nor how the goblin/kobold should act and what are your real options.
If it was me, I would have the kobold priest turn against Irontooth right now to gain the clan control (the defender going being faithful to the priest) . That would be a fun way of dealing with this (Again I have no idea of the story behind and if this is even a possible idea within the sotry line) and force some interesting roleplay negociations.
Or you could try to capture the players at this point and give them a chance to escape (or get rescued - possibly by a character that make it out if any) as the enemy prepare them for the execution/sacrifice. At this point, Irontooth doesnt have many minions left (at least it look like that) and cannot really afford to pursue, seach and guard his lair.
I personnaly dont mind to let anyone who make it out do a small solo/duo story to come and save us. I'd prefer that kind of thing to a "someone come save the day".
Alessa can escape, actually. Switching to human form gives her a free shift to disengage. On top of that, she ignores the difficult terrain in the waterfall, which would allow her to double run away and get a head start. By switching forms, even if he caught up to her, she could get the free shift again to disengage. I doubt he'd catch her, given how much of a head start she'd have.
Unless his short legs give him Speed 6. Which would mean he would probably eventually catch her, having only speed 5.
If Zimelda and Alessa retreat and escape, we could try to save Mertes and Arjhan if they are just captured as sacrifices, and not killed. Could be interesting, but I am not entirely sure we could beat a healed Dragonshield, Wyrmpriest and Irontooth even if we're back to full health and have our encounter powers. If we escape, and Arjhan and Mertes are conscious and healed while being sacrifices, then it would be doable.
__________________ My Homebrew
Currently DMing: Heroes on a Sea of Swords - IC - OOC - OOC II
Thanks to Arokh for all the wonderful avatars! May his computer never crash and his mouse arm never cramp!
Lol, It is really too bad that I am out cold too. I was keeping a nice fleeing power (Nomad rush ... move at +4 ignoring difficult terrain...)... but alas I waited too long.
And Who knows, maybe I'll get lucky and benefit from the rager's belt lol...
I rechecked the statblock for Irontooth (he does have speed 6 -- why? he's smaller than a Dwarf), and while I was there I noticed the description of the Dual Axe power requires him to use the two axe attacks against different targets. So Mertes doesn't get knocked out right away; Alessa takes 13-4=9 damage and gets knocked out instead. (She'd taken 16/2=8; 8-4=4 from the dragonshield's miss)
Seeing Mertes still standing, Irontooth would use his AP for another axe attack.
against Mertes - (1d20+8)[9](17) for (1d8+6)[9], miss against Alessa - (1d20+8)[13](21) for (1d8+6)[7], hit for 7-4=3
So it's Alessa who's knocked out, and Mertes who's still standing. Things still don't look good for the heroes.
Zimelda still has her daily power. And you said the boys have some potions. If she can land a decent hit on Iron Tooth, it will light him on fire, hopefully distracting him long enough for the boys and Rat to grab Arjhan and Alessa. Then we just RUN.
__________________
Quote:
Originally Posted by SilverClawShift
Wizard: Ug. God. Allright. What do you want us to do?
Me: Burn for me.
Wizard: ...what?
Me: I activate the fire ability. "BURN FOR ME!!!!!!"
What might also work is if you just retroactively give us back the damage we "wasted" on the monsters you meant to remove, reapportion it to the wyrmpriest and dragonshield so they're dead, and heal us (not from zero, from our current HP values) for the damage they dealt while alive, reapportioning it so that as many people are conscious, even if barely so, as possible. Then remove all or most of the XP for facing them, and continue with a 4 vs. Irontooth scenario.
__________________ My Homebrew
Currently DMing: Heroes on a Sea of Swords - IC - OOC - OOC II
Thanks to Arokh for all the wonderful avatars! May his computer never crash and his mouse arm never cramp!
An other option would be doing like I sometimes do in my own games when I plan multiples encounters in a row... grant some house ruled rest (since you read my game, you probably already have seen it - I usually call it Heroic rest/surge).
Basicly It refresh the encounter power (but does not permit to spend surge).
I dont thinnk your encounter count as two encounter, but a small boost (letting us regain 2 encounter power of our choice) may be enough to change the tide - kinda like you did for Arhjan. Zimelda would be able to heal again, I might be able to resist a few more hits (Stone endurance) and deal a lot more damage (Oath of enmity).
I know it isnt ideal... but from what you said, we probably should had won this encounter (because otherwise you would not have this discussion).
Or let us go the other way aroun and have us all spend a surge as moral boost...
No worries buddy. take your time, I am in no hurry.
I am keeping giving you possible ideas as they come to me for your situation.
Note that like Lycan, I do like a good challenge :).
It was a fun fight, even if we are loosing it.
To be honest, while it is quite evident that it is too huigh for us now (more so now that I know that Irontooth is at least an elite (becasue of the AP)), it doesnt mean it was not planned that way. If you had not told us, I would not had known it was a mistake lol... sometimes, the players face too high an odd.
Yeah, take as long as you want, dude. Real life, especially the sick kids, takes precedence.
Also, yeah, I would have had no idea this encounter was "too hard" if you hadn't said anything. But I'm the type who loves a hard challenge. The more difficult something is to overcome, the more rewarding victory is.
__________________
Quote:
Originally Posted by SilverClawShift
Wizard: Ug. God. Allright. What do you want us to do?
Me: Burn for me.
Wizard: ...what?
Me: I activate the fire ability. "BURN FOR ME!!!!!!"
Hi gang, just an update. My kids are still keeping me up at night, and I'm extremely busy at work. When I do have spare time I'm napping instead of checking Giant. I'm working through in my mind three possible ways for this encounter to go.
Again sorry about the extended delay, but I am committing to come back to this game when I have spare time and brainpower. Hopefully before the end of the month.
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Re: [4E] Snowbody's Keep on the Shadowfell OOC
