As the plug pulls free of the shaft, the stench of decay becomes obvious even to those standing back. As soon as the opening is clear, wet slapping sounds can be heard, echoing from somewhere down below.
| GM: | Creatures in the Shaft: Round 1
Combat starts as soon as the plug is free. Nobody starts off with weapons drawn, but owing to Castile’s successful Perception check earlier, the baddies do not get a surprise round.
When the fight begins, no enemies are visible.
The left part of the map shows the usual top view of proceedings. The right part is a cross-section of the shaft: dark brown squares are solid walls, the light grey squares are open space, and the murky grey-green is (filthy) water. Creatures inside the shaft in row J are considered swimming on the surface of the water, not underwater.
Terrain: The terrain is normal except for the water in the shaft. The green represents grassy ground and the brown square is the wooden plug. Note that you don’t really know how deep the water is, and its depth isn’t really important during the fight, so I haven’t bothered to be precise with the map.
For the purpose of this fight, falling down the shaft and into the water does no damage (although you get a save to fall prone on the edge, as usual, if forced movement would drop you in). You do not have to make swim checks while in the water, as it is easy enough to cling to the edges of the shaft.
Climbing out of the shaft without the aid of a rope is difficult (a DC 20 athletics check). With a rope, the check is DC 10. There is currently no rope dangling down the shaft, but there are ropes anchored to the wooden plug. Tossing a rope down the shaft is a minor action for any of the characters near the wooden plug, as they are all holding the ropes when the fight begins.
The interior of the shaft is dimly lit, so creatures in the shaft have concealment (characters with low-light vision can ignore this). The water is murky; water squares are heavily obscured.
Initiative
Initiative checks for Black Fox; Castile; Kane; Noriaki; Takahaan; Bad Guys
2(1d20) +4 = 6; 10(1d20) +4 = 14; 12(1d20) +2 = 14; 18(1d20) +6 = 24; 16(1d20) +3 = 19; 10(1d20) +8 = 18
Noriaki and Takahaan get to go before the bad guys. [MENTION=6676989]GROMkill[/MENTION] may of course use his power to allow rerolls if he chooses.
Sorry again about the delay. I had a spate of real-life gaming that distracted me from my virtual gaming.  |
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[sblock=If you move adjacent to the shaft][sblock=Perception 19, automatic success if you have low-light vision]There are four creatures in the shaft, clinging to the sides about 20 feet down. They are humanoid but hideous in appearance, with sickly grey skin that clings to their bones and horribly grotesque faces. Two of them are tall and rangy; the other two are shorter and broader.[/sblock][/sblock]
[sblock=Controlling Gelik and Pezock]
Companion NPCs in Combat
Any PC can take a standard, move, or minor action to have an NPC perform an action of the same (or a lesser) type. E.g., if you want Gelik to use Charm of Misplaced Wrath, you spend a standard action. If you want him to move, you spend a move action. An NPC is limited to the usual number of actions each round (but those actions need not all be granted by the same PC). An NPC who has an immediate action can likewise only use it if a PC has an immediate action available to use on his/her behalf.
NPCs can take free actions and opportunity actions normally, without the direction of PCs. They are always considered to have their weapons in hand and don’t need to spend actions unsheathing them.
If all of the PCs act in a given round without giving any actions to a particular NPC, I will have that NPC take
one non-offensive action. This will most likely be Second Wind if it is needed and available, and movement or Total Defense if it is not. (It won’t be necessary for PCs to spend their own standard actions to have NPCs use second wind.)[/sblock]
[sblock=Gelik]
Gelik
HP 26/26, Bloodied 13, Surge value 6; Surges 6/6
AC 15, Fort 13, Reflex 15, Will 17
Speed 5, gnome traits
Skills: Bluff +8, Arcana +12
Hypnotism (standard; arcane, charm, enchantment, implement; ranged 10, one enemy)
Attack: +6 vs. Will
Hit: Choose one: the target uses a free action to make a melee basic attack against a creature of Gelik’s choice, with a +4 power bonus to the attack roll; or, Gelik slides the target up to 3 squares.
[o] Charm of Misplaced Wrath (standard; arcane, charm, enchantment, implement; ranged 10, one enemy)
Attack: +6 vs. Will
Hit: Gelik slides the target up to 3 squares. The target is then dazed until the end of Gelik’s next turn. (1/encounter, as a free action, Gelik can extend the daze for another round.)
Effect: The target makes a basic attack against a creature of Gelik’s choice as a free action with a +2 power bonus to the damage roll.
[o] Glib Tongue (minor; arcane; personal)
Effect: Gelik gains a +5 power bonus to Diplomacy checks and a +2 power bonus to charm attack rolls until the end of his next turn.
[o] Fade Away (immediate reaction; personal)
Trigger: Gelik takes damage.
Effect: Gelik is invisible until he attacks or until the end of his next turn.
[o] Second Wind
Conditions: none[/sblock]
[sblock=Pezock]
Pezock
HP 30/30, Bloodied 12, Surge value 6; Surges 7/7
AC 17, Fort 13, Reflex 17, Will 15
Skills: Bluff +12, Stealth +11
Flock Effect: Pezock gains a +3 bonus to melee attack rolls when flanking rather than +2.
Striker: 1/round, Pezock can deal 1d6 extra damage when he hits an enemy he has CA against.
Icy Skewer (standard; arcane, cold, weapon; melee weapon, one creature)
Attack: +9 vs. AC
Hit: 1d10+5 cold damage. Pezock gains a +2 power bonus to all defenses against the target’s attacks until the end of his next turn.
Special: Pezock can use this power as a melee basic attack.
[o] Piercing Shard (standard; arcane, cold, illusion, psychic, weapon; melee weapon, one creature)
Attack: +9 vs. Will
Hit: 2d10+5 cold and psychic damage.
Effect: Pezock is invisible to the target until the start of his next turn.
[o] Spider Scuttle (free; arcane; personal)
Effect: Until the end of his next turn, Pezock gains a climb speed equal to his speed (6), and can move at that speed when crawling.
[o] Second Wind
Conditions: none
Fluff Notes: Pezock’s powers represent his having a cool magic sword (Pearl). If he loses the sword, he can’t do that neat stuff anymore.[/sblock]
[sblock=status]
PCs
Castile (L8) HP
45/45; surges
12/13
Hú Lí (I11) HP
34/34; surges
8/8
Kane (N8) HP
33/33; surges
10/10
Noriaki (P11) HP
33/33; surges
8/9
Takahaan (M8) HP
34/34; surges
7/8
Gelik (I13) HP
26/26; surges
6/6
Pezock (K8) HP
30/30; surges
7/7[/sblock]
