[FR][PBP] Against the Storm Game Thread

[dead_radish]

Elone will attempt to quietly draw her Mighty composite longbow (+4) whilst the dragon is being challenged by Ubaar (note that this is the GMW'ed bow) and prepares to begin the attack. She will first launch a smoke arrow at the dragon's head (Functions as a smokestick), and then summon monster I beside the dragon (something aquatic). After that, she'll follow up with 3 attacks per round, assuming nothing odd happens.

OOC: I rolled a 3 for her cat's grace (24 dex) and a 1 for her endurance (12 con, eugh). Her str is at 18 right now from divine power, making her to-hit +25/+25/+20 with rapid shot, or +24 with the smoke arrow. Her damage is 1d8+13 per shot, and her AC is 27. So's ya don't have to do all the math.

 

[Paragon Badger]

Alar will line up by Elone and prepare to aid with ranged. He'll start with a Searing Light when Elone fires her arrow. Then he'll use Summon Monster IV to summon a Small Tojanida to aid Elone's aquatic creature. Finally, his get his bow out and attack with arrows.

Ranged attack (with Divine Favor)+10/+5 or +14/+9 within 30 ft.
With +1 Mighty (+4) Comp Longbow +11/6 or +15/+10 within 30 ft.

 

[Elric]

Alex blocks their way.

"Can't you see that Ubaar is trying to scare it off. Do you want to fight the dragon? If so, fire an arrow. I, on the other hand, intend for all of us to survive."

Alex calls out, shouting in rhyme.
"None can stand the strength of Ubaar,
He is stronger than you are.
Giants, dragons, come what may,
Ubaar alone will rule the day.
The blood of Uthgar in his veins
Makes up for his lack of brains.
Heaven's blessings on us shine,
This ship's treasure will never be thine.
This boat isn’t worth the fight.
No, not by a long sight.
Get thee back to the deep,
And of us, give not one peep.
So go now, demondragon!
And do not be a laggin!”

 

[Paragon Badger]

Alcar is somewhat annoyed.

"I'm waiting for Ubaar to start, I'm just going to support him if he gets in trouble. Plus I doubt calling it a coward to its face is going to scare it off."

 

[DM_Matt]

Am I the only one who thinks that Alex's speech reads like Eminem without the cussing?

BTW, why the heck do you guys keep using EBlackTent. They grapple targets at random. Your melee fighters and summoned monsters, for instance.

You blitz the dragon as planned. (almost 2 rounds being adjudicated)

As Ubaar and Akharos charge, carrying a table in front of them, Alcar and Elone lay down some cover fire. Alcar blasts it with holy light, singing it somewhat (15dmg) but not seeming to harm it significantly. He procedes to begin summoning a Tojanda. Elone fires a smoke arrow into the dragon's neck (20 dmg). Thick black smoke surrounds the dragon's head, impeding vision.

As Ubaar and Akharos jump towards the dragon and try unsuccessfully to grapple him, the dragon loudly roars, causing Ubaar and Akharos to forget what they are doing and instead fall into the water. They manage to surface, but feel the sound seems to have cased them to lose control of some of their muscles, which vibrate strangely. (Dazed one round, -8 str)

Calain summons tentacles from the water to grab the dragon, but he is too strong.

One of the tentacles grapples Akharos sucessfully (8 dmg).

Alex finds himself caught up in the commotion and largely ignored.

Round 2

Elone and Alcar's summoned critters (A small tojanda, a strange turtle-creature that can poke claws, fins, and a head out of the various openings in its shell, and an orca) appear to fight the dragon. The tojanda is too small for the tentacles to bother with, and the orca too powerful for them to grapple. the tojanda is entirely unable to bite or scratch through the dragon's armored skin, but the huge killer whale barrels into the dragon and tears a huge hunk out of its side (crit, 34 dmg).

Ubaar and Akharos cannot do anything (the daze began after their actions).

The dragon, angered by the attack by the whale says in draconic "Hungry blood winds of my fatherland, I call to you! Gorge yourselves upon my enemies till the be but desiccated husks!"

The air around everyone bleeds a red must, and you all feel your bodily fluids being sapped from you. The water-based tojanda is vaporized. The tentacles disappear. The mighty Orca is nearly slain, but lets out a deafening screech and continues to bore angrily into the dragon. (PC DMG: Alex, Ubaar, Alcar, Calain take 37 dmg...Yes, you all made a DC20 fort save, you ridiculously lucky, um, hand-and-a-halfs?)

The dragon then ducks underwater and moves under the boat.

Alex (who can act b4 the dragon goes under water), Frian, and Calain still may still act this round.

Post for next round, too.

 

[reapersaurus]

OOC: umm.... what happened to Ubaar's role-play? The challenge? How did the dragon respond? And I never posted that Ubaar would charge the dragon. Not even close. I said they would grapple on the deck of the boat - why would they grapple in the water?? Black Tentacles were aimed so as to not get the PC's in the area. What creature has an atack that can do 74 points of damage to that wide of an area (21d6?)? I'm kinda baffled on this one. this does not look good, in-character OR out-of-character

 

[DM_Matt]

Gerappling the dragon requires jumping onto him, as he is just beyond the boat.

The dragon does not say anything to Ubaar's threats, just as he ignored Alex's.

 

[reapersaurus]

than why did you have Ubaar charge and grapple a frickin' DRAGON off of dry land?

I just don't get your approach to combat, Matt :
the only interesting part to me was what the reaction from the (cowardly) dragon was going to be to the challenge, and whether he'd accept it from a delusionally-confident humanoid.

Then you dismiss my actions, and the others, daze us, and damage us without any mechanics involved..... do you think this is a normal way of doing PbP combat?

Seriously... I thought you said it wasn't going to be like this the next time.
(just a tad disappointed with the dramatic scene you developed..... I sure hope someone else has good input to change the scene, or it's another TPK situation.

 

[DM_Matt]

Ubaar: the dragon waited for you to make the first move combat-wise. If this is a DEMON-dragon in the most technical of terms, he would be the kind to fight to get what he wants but would not be the kind to make deals regarding formal challenges.

The group was disorganized. Everyone was buffed, some were taunting, some urging calm AND taunting, some preparing to strike, some sitting around, etc.

The dragon opted to wait and see what you guys were going to do, because from his perspective, you guys could not really decide what to do. When you guys moved on him, he was ready with his melee defense spell followed by his big attack spell.

You (the group in general) only dealt with the dragon in trying to intimidate it. You did not try more subtle approaches. You did not try to figure out why coward is written in four languages across his face. The fact that someone tattooed him with that does not necessarily translate into him being easily intimidated. And why would such a dragon be spending his time holding up passing ships, anyway? All good approaches. You were not really engaging him in conversation, but rather just threatening him...And he did not feel threatened.

How does he do that much dmg? Its legal and core, trust me. Later I can tell you what it is.

Really, though, its somewhat coincidental/unfortunate that this happened to happen to your character twice in a row.

BTW, the fact that you guys are in the water now is not particularly problematic for you. The only way that it might matter is if you go negative and drown at some point.

 

[Paragon Badger]

[Begin Cheap Metagaming]

originally posted by Reapersaurus
What creature has an atack that can do 74 points of damage to that wide of an area (21d6?)?

originally posted by DM_Matt
The dragon, angered by the attack by the whale says in draconic "Hungry blood winds of my fatherland, I call to you! Gorge yourselves upon my enemies till the be but desiccated husks!"

The air around everyone bleeds a red must, and you all feel your bodily fluids being sapped from you. The water-based tojanda is vaporized. The tentacles disappear. The mighty Orca is nearly slain, but lets out a deafening screech and continues to bore angrily into the dragon. (PC DMG: Alex, Ubaar, Alcar, Calain take 37 dmg...Yes, you all made a DC20 fort save, you ridiculously lucky, um, hand-and-a-halfs?)

Isn't it horrid? My poor little tojanda just wilting away!

[End Cheap Metagaming]