M4: Under the Volcano [Nimisgod judging] -CONCLUDED

[jkason]

Eanos, human monk

Razh walks to the pool and thrusts his hand to the softly glowing moss. It must be scraped off the stone, but is not particularly difficult. He has scarcely knelt when a movement stirs the water. He fails to notice this swift approach before its too late (Spot DR 4).

Suddenly a long dark shape bursts forth from the water snapping at the dwarf with its broad mouth and sharp teeth. Despite the surprise, the dwarf's training and experience prevent him from being caught completely flat footed. None the less, the crocodile's jaws clamp down on his right arm, near the shoulder. (to hit DR 20. Dmg 7) The 12 foot monster then twists back with its head, attempting to hold the dwarf and drag him into the water.

Eanos sprints to Razh's side, lashing out with a focused blow to the croc's side, hoping to distract the creature at the very least.

[sblock=OOC]
Assuming Ogrin or Nurlan haven't taken it first, Eanos moves to the square on Razh's right in order to attack. He's using his Blow of Steel feat to try to get some higher damage.
Attack = 20
Damage = 8[/sblock]

 

[orsal]

In that case, Nurlan will save the moss-harvesting for after the fight is done. For now, he'll grab one of the sticks, to use as an improvised club. If he can do that and also attack the same round, he will.

 

[Knight Otu]

(Ashnar can be a bit slow sometimes, it seems. )
Too relieved about the discovery of light, Ashnar doesn't quite grasp what is happening to Razh at first. When he does, he fires a scoriching ray at the beast attacking Razh.

 

[rln]

Ogrin runs up behind Razh, attempting to help him out of the jaws of the crocodile.

OOC: Not sure if you'd allow aid another to escape the jaws or what skill it is. Typically, an aid another for a skill (ie escape artist) against DC 10 would give the user a +2 on his check.

 

[Erekose13]

Provided he can see the sticks too, Tenebrynn will grab the other one to try and beat the crocodile over the head with.

 

[Rae ArdGaoth]

Though he is somewhat surprised by a powerful set of jaws suddenly chomping down on his hand, Razh wastes no time in using his free hand and his trapped one to lever (27, natural 20) the crocodile's mouth open. More surprising to the dwarf than the attack is how easy he finds this task.

[sblock=OOC: ]Can you get a critical on a grapple? Would it be appropriate to say that Razh uses his grapple to keep the croc's mouth shut?[/sblock]

 

[rln]

Edit: I just noticed you posted the initiative order and see that I'm first, so this becomes my action for round 2 instead. Round 1 is still some kind of "aid another" action for Razh.

Seeing that Razh is having no major troubles wrestling with the beast, Ogrin then switches to pummeling the beast. He manages to land a blow, which definitely will leave a bruise.
[SBLOCK=OOC, grapple]Rae, you've been watching too much Animal Planet

Ogrin hits AC19 (and another +2 for flanking, if possible) and would deal 6 damage if sneak attack damage applies (otherwise 5).

I'd say keeping the croc's mouth shut/open would be the same rules & effect as a 'pinning' action which would require opposed grapple checks, though perhaps with a bonus if you only want to deny it a certain part of its anatomy (ie, since you're only interested in pinning its mouth, and not restricting all its actions, perhaps it's easier)

Oh, and since there's likely going to be some grappling in this scenario, here's some good reading for whoever's interested:

Grappling Rules
Wizards "All about Grappling" articles: 1 2 3 4
Search for the word "grapple" in the D&D FAQ for specific suggestions on different abilities etc.
[/SBLOCK]

 

[Manzanita]

Round 1

Ogrin moves in and grabs at the croc, to help his friend get free. It turns out his help is not really needed, as Razh himself easily breaks the grip.

The croc, for whatever reason, turns his attention to the halfling, snapping its mighty jaws at the little man. Ogrin jerks back and avoids the teeth.

Nurlan dashes in and snatches one of the thick pieces of wood. (This then requires two move actions. This would normally incur an AoO, but I'll assume he is able to grab one out of range of the croc's jaws. The other club (as they can be used as such) is quite close now to the croc. I'll assume Nurlan will let Eanos in meanwhile.)
Eanos moves in to close with the croc, and Nurlan is forced to step aside. Eanos delivers a powerful blow. He feels bones crack under the thick skin of the beast.

At this point, between Ogrin, Razh and Eanos, there's no room for Tenebrynn or Rinaldo to reach the beast, unless they wishes to push past the others and enter the pond. Ashnar would be risking hitting his friends if he shot his scorching ray. Hogarth shouts when the croc strikes, but now lingers helplessly in the rear.

I'm not sure what Razh is doing for his first round action. Since he broke the initial grapple, at this point the croc is not grappling and is facing Ogrin, so the rogue will get no sneak attack in round 2 at this rate. Is Razh attempting now to grapple with the croc? I think I need to resolve this before proceeding to round 2. Also will Ten, Ashnar or Rinaldo try anything from behind the others?

 

[rln]

OOC: Without sneak attack, the damage is 5 instead of 6.

 

[Velmont]

Rinaldo will ready an action. If someone free a space and he can sneak from there (got a bracket or the crocodile is grappled), Rinaldo will attack.