S3: The Scythe of Seto (Bront Judging)[Completed]

Chess game in Jareth's Temple 9:02:40 am

Rasereit steps to the side, out of the Minotaur's range, and the bull-man snorts in disgust. The black king leaves him standing, and points to the other minotaur instead. Then the black marble floor underneath that minotaur, and the white marble underneath Beamer's pawn light up brightly. The minotaur is going to attack the pawn.


The viking warrior sets himself grimly, crouching and tensing his muscles. The minotaur charges through the unoccupied squares inbetween them, raising his huge double-bladed axe. The minotaur is otherwise naked except for a chain wrapped around his waist, and somehow linked together to resemble a belt.

At the last moment, the viking steps forward, under the axe swing and smacks his warhammer into the beast's chest. His hammer strikes soundly, cracking a rib underneath its thick hide. Amazingly, the warrior is able to dodge the following axe blow, and deflect the beast's horns with his sheild.

The other viking warriors break into cheers and shouts to see their comrade preform so well.

The King's Pawn now roars in rage, and unleashes a mighty blow at the bull-man's skull. It is well-aimed and must have hurt, but does little damage to his massive opponent.

The minotaur continues to attack, swinging its axe wildly, and smashing its head down to gore its nimble opponent. The viking takes a wicked axe strike, breaking his left arm under his shield, but roars back in anger, continuing the fight. Again, his comrades cheer and shout their approval.

How can this man continue to fight such a monster, but he does. His next hammer blow strikes his enemy right between its black eyes. With a resounding crack, there is no doubt the minotaur's skull just broke.

Barely alive, the minotaur tries a last effort. Despite its injuries, its powerful axe smashes aside the warrior's limp shield arm, and it rams it's left horn through the man's face. The long, twisted point, emerges from the back of the viking's horned helmet. The minotaur then straightens its back, and tosses the dead warrior over its head. The viking's body slams into the hard marble floor and moves no more.

The minotaur staggers, then rights itself. It is obviously in terrible shape - near dead. The white pawns go silent. They bow their heads and give silent homage to their fallen companion. The bright lights under the fighters dim again, and the minotaur owns the square.

rules aside [sblock] I let it happen, but can you ready an action that includes a 5 foot step, such as the viking did to get a strike in first against the charging minotaur. I don't see that you can, stictly speaking.[/sblock]

Manzanita said:

rules aside [sblock] I let it happen, but can you ready an action that includes a 5 foot step, such as the viking did to get a strike in first against the charging minotaur. I don't see that you can, stictly speaking.[/sblock]

Click to expand...

[sblock=Yes, You Can]Readying an Action
You can ready a standard action, a move action, or a free action. To do so, specify the action you will take and the conditions under which you will take it. Then, any time before your next action, you may take the readied action in response to that condition. The action occurs just before the action that triggers it. If the triggered action is part of another character’s activities, you interrupt the other character. Assuming he is still capable of doing so, he continues his actions once you complete your readied action. Your initiative result changes. For the rest of the encounter, your initiative result is the count on which you took the readied action, and you act immediately ahead of the character whose action triggered your readied action.

You can take a 5-foot step as part of your readied action, but only if you don’t otherwise move any distance during the round.[/sblock]

Yep, not much like chess at all.

"Finish him, Rae."

Beamer cheers along with the other warriors. When the warrior seems to have the upper hand for a moment, Beamer calls out, "Looks like it's steer steaks tonight!" He grows outwardly somber when at last the barbarian falls, but inwardly he is thrilled the warrior lasted as long as he did. Putting some steel in his voice, he cries out, "He will be avenged! Rasereit, care to finish off this beast?"

OOC:
Direct Rasereit to capture the now injured minotaur.

Ogrin cheers with the other vikings, and mourns as they do.

"That wasn't bad at all. That minotaur looks like it's gonna topple at any time; we should finish it before they manage to heal it. Oh, and I think we should refine our vikings defensive tactics.

"If a viking is threatened by a melee combatant which isn't a skeleton, ready your spear against a charge. After your enemy has closed for melee, drop your spear and bring up your hammer 2-handed. The next time you have an opportunity, bring up your shield."

"Against the pawns, or against casters and ranged combatants, just use your hammer and shield, close as fast as you can, and bash them to pieces.

"Only let loose your fury when you fight something more powerful than a pawn, unless the pawn manages to wound you grieviously."

Note: against charging opponents without reach, this means the viking would get two attacks - one readied, and one AoO when the opponent closes from 10ft to 5ft.

I'd expect the pawn should use the same weapon combo and rage trigger when attacking as well.

"Aye, me lord." Rasereit gives his shield a shake, cracks his knuckles, and then makes to charge the weakened minotaur, screaming as he does. Then, after moving two squares, he suddenly stops. His scream ends, and now he smiles as he taunts the minotaur, swaying back and forth just outside its square. "Ye come t'me, shortie."

OOC: Move 30', then stop and ready an action to fight defensively with the minotaur if it enters Rasereit's threatened zone.

Rasereit is testing the rules of the game, to see if the piece-to-be-captured is allowed to leave its square. He's also playing it safe, preferring not to take any damage in this fight; if he charged, he'd probably get the same treatment that the minotaur got from the viking.

Meta Note:

Spoiler

Minotaur AC <= 15

EDIT: See below...

Beamer's King's pawn is looking imploringly at Beamer, as though begging to be allowed to slay the minotaur himself. Beamer passes him, though, and gives the job to Rasereit. At Beamer's pronouncement, the white marble beneath Razh and the wounded minotaur slowly gets brighter and brighter. The minotaur knows the battle is coming as well as the dwarf does.

Razereit gets the jump on the beast. It stands about 30 feet in front of him. He could close, of course, but that would give the larger creature the first shot. To test whether it could leave its own square, Razh would have to advance 10 feet or less. Otherwise, it could reach him with his long axe w/o leaving its square. Moving 10 feet, though, would prevent him from readying an action which would include a 5 foot step

I'll do this combat round by round, to give Razh a chance to duel as he sees fit. Give me more than one round's actions if you like.

OOC: Somehow, I got Rasereit's position all wrong in my head. I also didn't realize that the minotaur has reach. So Rasereit stays put for the moment.

Rasereit does a little jig in his square, moving around, taunting the bull-man, hoping it will give in to its instincts and charge. (OOC: No movement, ready an action to step forward and slash with axe if the minotaur comes close.)

If the minotaur does charge... The minotaur charges...

Rasereit tries to pull a "viking", stepping into the minotaur's charge. In trying to keep his shield up, he misjudges his swing slightly, but the minotaur's reckless charge might compensates for his error. (OOC: Does a 12 hit a charging minotaur? 10 damage if it does.)

Ignore the following...

[sblock=If the minotaur delays...]
Rasereit shrugs and says, "Has t'happen either way." Eyes on the minotaur, he drops his waraxe into the loop on his belt and pulls out his handaxe. "Charge now, or fore'er 'old yer peace." (OOC: Sheathe waraxe, draw handaxe)

[sblock=Round 2, if the minotaur continues to delay...]
"Ye had yer chance t'go out in glory." With a single swift motion, he looses his handaxe. It flies through the air and embeds itself in the minotaurs chest. (7 damage)[/sblock][/sblock]

9:03:00 am

Razh doesn't get to have much of a dance. The minotaur charges immediately. Razh is ready, though, dodging under the creature's axe, and slashing upwards with his. He barely tags the beast, on the knee. It is enough. The minotaur stumbles past the dwarf. Unable to keep its balance, it falls on its face, and blood pours out of its broken face. One more shutter, and its dead.

The minotaur's body slowly fades, and the party realizes that the body of the dead viking has also disapeared. Oddly enough, the chain belt remains on the floot, and maybe something else... [need a spot check from everyone]. Razh finds himself walking unaccountably towards the square the minotaur had occupied.

If the Black King is upset by the loss of its knight, it gives no sign. Instead, with a scrape of metal, it raises its arm and its queen pawn advances two squares, to threaten the victorious Rasereit.

"Ah claim this land for the good King Beamer!" Rasereit announces as he walks to the black knight's square. When the pawn approaches, Rasereit's eyes glint menacingly. "Want t'dance, bag o' bones?"

OOC: Spot check - 14