The Blind Watchers of the Sylvan Shard

[Rae ArdGaoth]

OOC to Richard: The 'spidermen' are not grappling Khairi nor Richard. The first step to initiate a grapple is to move into your opponent's square. Since the creatures are hanging in a square above Richard, I don't think he can start a grapple.

Well, he'd have to climb up to that space somehow, and to do that he'd have to grab onto the dangling creature, and to do that he'd have to start a grapple, and to do that...

 

[Phoenix8008]

OOC to Richard: The 'spidermen' are not grappling Khairi nor Richard. The first step to initiate a grapple is to move into your opponent's square. Since the creatures are hanging in a square above Richard, I don't think he can start a grapple.

Well, he'd have to climb up to that space somehow, and to do that he'd have to grab onto the dangling creature, and to do that he'd have to start a grapple, and to do that...

OOC: Maybe a vertical jump to enter the square followed by grappling? Just a thought. Not meaning to make things more difficult though.

 

[Richard Rawen]

[sblock=OOC strategy: ]well, Richard has no points in Jump, but he also has no ACP so the balance would be +2 to Jump... I guess I was not clear on where bugman was, but if he got close enough to bite Richard I am confused why he didn't get an AoO... this changes his actions, Lots... I'll post more after I hear back on this, thanks.[/sblock]

 

[Rystil Arden]

[SBLOCK=OOC @Richard]Also, don't forget that if you make a standing jump, the DC is twice as high, so you'd need to clear DC 40 to jump 5 feet up from a standing position, as opposed to 20 with a running start.

Seems pretty clear to me--The creature descended on Richard from above. Richard doesn't have a reach weapon. Thus, he doesn't get an AoO when a creature moves up to him, whether it is from the front, the back, the sides, or above.[/SBLOCK]

 

[Richard Rawen]

[SBLOCK=OOC @Richard]Also, don't forget that if you make a standing jump, the DC is twice as high, so you'd need to clear DC 40 to jump 5 feet up from a standing position, as opposed to 20 with a running start.

Seems pretty clear to me--The creature descended on Richard from above. Richard doesn't have a reach weapon. Thus, he doesn't get an AoO when a creature moves up to him, whether it is from the front, the back, the sides, or above.[/SBLOCK]

[sblock=AoO]Richard Did have a weapon, a Javelin, which could certainly have been used to stab upwards at the bugman. Since we have been given no tactical map none of us are really in a position to make tactical decisions based on locations of pc's or npc's... making the assumption in the one or the other's favor seems ... unfair?

Seeing the band pull out their ranged weapons, the dangling monsters suddenly descend at a rapid rate, keeping far away from Lucien.

One pounces on Richard, the other on Khairi.

This whole discussion resulted from the fact that I didn't know where bugman was in relationship to Richard... "pounce" doesn't really give much of a directional reference...[/sblock]

 

[Dungannon]

Lucien moves to the closest of the creatures and attempts to bring them down to earth.

ooc: Mace & handaxe attack (1d20+5=16, 1d20+4=19), Mace & handaxe damage (1d8+2=10, 1d6+2=5).

 

[Rystil Arden]

[SBLOCK=Richard AoO stuff OOC]A javelin is not a reach weapon. In 3.X D&D, you are very unlikely to get a movement-based AoO with a non-reach weapon. I don't think Rae was making an assumption for one side or the other--the creature would have literally had to make an effort to provoke an AoO from Richard (by moving adjacent to him and then spending extra movement to go into another square instead of attacking right away).

Richard can, of course, make an attack upwards with his javelin on his own turn--just trying to help get your actions hammered out for when Rae gets back.[/SBLOCK]

 

[Rae ArdGaoth]

[sblock=Richard: ]I apologize for the confusion. Drawing maps is always time consuming, and I thought the scene was clear. I think the confusion arose because you think that a javelin is a reach weapon, but it's not. The spiders just did a normal charge, albeit through three-dimensional space. The spider is not grappling Richard, it just charged him. Since the spider did not exit a square threatened by Richard (though it did enter a square threatened by Richard), it provoked no AoO.

Had Richard been wielding a reach weapon (like a spiked chain, perhaps), then he would be threatening squares within 10', and the spider would have charged into one, then exited it and and entered the next one closer to Richard, thus provoking an AoO. This was not the case.

I'll make a map when I get back.[/sblock]

 

[Richard Rawen]

[sblock=OOC: ]*shrugs* guess I'm weak in the understanding AoO's dept, my fault, not yours. I apologize for the misunderstandings and my thick-headedness.
In any case, as I understand it, the best action Richard has at this time is to make a 5' move away from the dangling Ettercap, thus not provoking an AoO, and getting him out of it's attack range. Then he can chuck a Javelin at it, still keep his shield AC and hope that his allies can help get it down to ground level. May I assume that Richard has not moved far from his resting area and thus can take that 5' move back to his gear, access more javelins or his sword?[/sblock]

OOC: *poke*

 

[Rae ArdGaoth]

Round 3:
Initiative:
Khairi Bahedar
Saithnar
Richard Rawen
Lucien Rayes
Tumna Lakeside
E2
E1
Rinya Starflower
Thallirae



Khairi drops his bow (free action), draws his two weapons (move), and attacks with his scimitar (standard). His blade strikes true and draws more black ooze from the creature. (8 damage to E2)

Saithnar's mental tendril whips at Richard's assailant, but the only effect is the sound cracking glass.

Richard takes a five foot step back and launches a javelin at the dangling spider-monster. It pierces skin. He then stoops forward to grab another from his pack. (I rolled for Richard's attack, 4 damage to E1)

Lucien (can't use both weapons, since Lucien is 15' away, not 5') moves towards Richard's monster and attacks it with his mace. The thick head of his weapon clobbers the creature, bashing its skull badly. (10 damage to E1) The creature suddenly goes limp and hangs from its strand, twitching madly.

Tumna struggles against her webs (same as post 227)

Khairi's foe swings south a bit and then launches into a voracious biting, clawing attack on Khairi. The creature's claws scrape and gash Khairi. Then the creature's mouth comes forward at an alarming speed and takes a chunk out of Khairi's shoulder. The pain is excruciating, and Khairi collapses. (20 (!!) damage to Khairi, Khairi needs to make another Fort save to resist this new poison attack, Khairi is at -3 HP and dying).

The other creature, near Lucien and Richard, twitches some more.

Rinya...

[sblock=Large OOC: ]Oof, sorry BigB, it got a great critical...

I've made a map to clarify the situation, though it looks like this combat will be over shortly. The little rock thingies are piles of gear and equipment. Your characters all started in the square with their gear, so the pile closest to your character is probably your pile (E8 is Lucien's gear, G10 is Richard's gear).

Richard's monster (E1) is currently suspended 5' above square H9. Khairi's monster is suspended 5' above square I7.[/sblock]