As the group turns to leave, a hulking cloaked figure stands up from one of the tables.
"Perhaps if you would have asked these people for assistance instead of commanding them to do what you wanted, or even if you would have bribed them, they would have been more receptive to your inquiries. It seems that you are as brash as your half orc friend. You shouldn't learn your manners from him. Being brash is an error. Something to consider for the future. I have noticed in my learnings that people respond better to honey cakes than to vinegar cider. Is that the right expression? Hmmm." a metallic voice says from the under the cloak. The group notices a warforged is under the cloak.
[sblock=half orc]
The only half orc that anyone knows about is Knoepf's companion Artemus that Knoepf has told the group about in detail.
Knoepf also mentioned something about meeting a warforged after his first fight with Merrick's men in the alley, but it was just a momentary conversation about the Warforged accusing the group of starting the fight and the group mostly ignored the Warforged and walked away.
[/sblock]
Come comrades, if not the coward Merrick, maybe someone smart enough to understand the situation around here might meet us later.
"Coward! Youse calling the boss a coward? Youse got a big mouth for such a little runt. Get 'em boys." the minotaur shouts. All of the thugs start reaching for weapons and moving towards the group.
"It appears that I was correct in my assessment." the warforged says.
[sblock=OOC]
Ok, I will be using Mal's encounter rules with the exception that if someone gets stunned or unconscious, then that PC automatically goes first within the PC group's initiative order (i.e. the stunned PC loses a turn automatically, or the unconscious PC has to make at least one death saving throw). Consider the incapacitated PC to be NPCed by the DM at the start of the PC's initiative. Most other effects are not debilitating enough to worry about it. I also will be rolling opportunity attacks by the PCs caused by NPC actions to save time.
Mal's Rules
Remember to add in your stat blocks and to also specify what your powers do (e.g. if a power gives a bonus to an ally, let us know what the bonus is, who the ally is, and when the bonus expires).
I just assigned a set of icons for the PCs. If you want to use a specific icon for your PC on the map, just send it to me. I'm also abbreviating PC and NPC names on the icons so as to take up less room and have less of the map image hidden.
Also, it is up to the PCs if they want to fight to the death or just knock foes unconscious.
Finally, PCs and NPCs do not have weapons or implements out in public. It takes a minor action to draw a weapon or implement, so make sure that you add this in to your list of actions on round one if you want to use such an item. PCs and NPCs also do not have shields equiped, so reflex and AC is lowered accordingly. I think Knoepf is the only PC that uses a shield, but it is not in his hand at the moment and it takes a standard action to equip it.
Terrain: The tables and chair squares are difficult terrain. To go horizontally or vertically through a round table is just difficult terrain. To go diagonally through a round table or to cross over a rectangular table is both difficult terrain, and a DC 15 Athletics or Acrobatics check. Failure means that the PC slips and falls prone in the starting square and that ends his move action. For example, going from square M9 to O9 is a check and if it fails, the PC is prone in M9 and the move action is finished. The tables also provide cover from ranged attacks for those standing within or adjacent to a table/chair square in the opposing direction (e.g. F13 has cover from I8, but I8 doesn't have cover from F13).
Vex 61/61
Hobgoblin 1 (Hob 1)
Hobgoblin 2 (Hob 2)
Hobgoblin 3 (Hob 3)
Hobgoblin 4 (Hob 4)
Minotaur 1 (Min 1)
Minotaur 2 (Min 2)
Gnoll 1 (Gno 1)
Gnoll 2 (Gno 2)
Warforged (War)
Patrons
Acre 56/56
Malehan 62/62
Garrick 57/57
Knoepf 50/50
It's Vex's turn. Then, the monsters go and then all PCs can go in posting order.
The area below the map is the rest of the tavern, but it's off screen.
[/sblock]