Round 3 update
As the halfling flees, Chaku swings out with his hammer, nearly catching the slinger firmly across it's backside, but only effect is he sends the halfling further along his retreat route.
Hearing Krassus's plea for help, and seeing his quarry escape, Chaku resolves to assist the dying man's plight. Turning toward the sound of the cackling tormentor, leg muscles bulge as he takes 3 steps and leaps from the roof toward the captor. Bloodcurling scream eminating from his lips, he collides with the captor as a sling bullet whizzes by his head. The impact of the collision knocks the captor off his feet and the wind out of Chaku, with the barbarian landing next to him. Ready for the inevitable counter assault, he attempts to taunt the scimitar weilding native.
You will not find me so easy prey torturer. Dwarven speach here.
[sblock=Dwarven]
In the end, we all die, lets see who goes first.[/sblock]
The snakes close in on Papolstaanas, who almost disappears beneath the roiling mass. Then a sudden whirling wind propels the snakes away, leaving the tough little kobold almost unscathed. A few snakes dangle from his chest, their little fangs having caught on the absurd fringes on his armor. The price tag that has been hanging from his backpack all this time without his noticing seems to have been torn off.[/QUOTE]
// ooc - I LOLed at the price tag. 
Eyes slitted in detestation (
why did it have to be snakes?), Papolstaanas knocks a few vipers off with the edge of his shield and moves rapidly around the building, toward Krassus's screams. But as he passes by the tree adjacent to the hut, the pods hanging from the tree quiver and fall to the ground, where they explode into a noxious cloud of green gas!
"This way, we can save him if we move--" cries Papolstaanas, breaking off abruptly as the pods explode in his face and he falls over. The winds build up around him again, turning so frigid that the ground becomes coated in a thick layer of frost.
// ooc - Geez, you have really shut down the swarms between slowing them and the difficult terrain zone. (Difficult terrain zone is shown on the map; affects only enemies.) And now you have a blast attack to use on the snakes. Great move!
As the snakes move away, Az sees her opportunity to move up and try to help Krassus. She dodges and weaves among the combatants to avoid getting in the way of swords or fangs. She sees the green cloud, takes a deep breath, and plunges through, but apparently the breath was too late because a bit of the gas got in with the air and she came out on the other side of the cloud coughing and sputtering. She manages to stumble a few more steps, eyes stinging, before stopping.
// ooc - Don't forget Az's memory of 1000 lifetimes power... she could have beaten the Athletics check by using it.
She spotted Krassus on the other side of the hut, but was surprised to see Chaku standing over a strange-looking man with a scimitar. She assumes said person is the one inflicting the damage on Krassus. Sadly, she was still too far away for her sword to be effective against him.
"You slimy creature! How dare you abuse this man this way. You shall know my wrath."
Her voice was forceful, but normal volume (not shouting) as she spoke.
Kaeysari sprints after Azryah, barreling headlong through the poisonous cloud. She emerges, coughing slightly but none worse for wear. As she rushes past her companion, she yells out something in the Imperial tongue at Krassus, followed by a quick
"Run! Now!" in case they were mistaken about his Imperial origins. She swings her long blade down, planting it firmly in the prone opponent's chest, giving Krassus the opportunity to scramble away. As he moves past, Kaeysari speaks again in Imperia, this time a brief prayer, invoking the power of the gods to keep Krassus safe.
[sblock=Imperia ~ Elven]
The Imperial language is close enough to the Elven tongue that anybody who speaks the latter can understand Kaeysari when she yells
"Krassus! We'll help you! Get behind me!"
and at least the gist of her blessing:
"May the Ægis of Palladys lie over you and protect you from harm."[/sblock]
[sblock=ooc]Wow, very timely switch of die rollers!
After the crit he's not likely to last another round... We'll see. You did bloody him, he only started with 38 hp... bet you thought he was elite! But no.
Krassus regains one hit. (The bonus healing doesn't do anything.)[/sblock]
The snakes caught in the flames manage to sting Jynxx slightly before moves away from the snakes, then fires a well off the mark shot.
[sblock=ooc]3 damage from Aura.
No response from Only about his move. I think when NPCing a character I should favor actions that don't expose the character to harm. So, let's say he shifts to S11, no opportunity attack from the swarm.[/sblock]
Cillani blasts the swarm by the hut with lightning once again. The stroke of dark lightning impacts the center of the swarm, hurling crisped reptiles in all directions and leaving a small smoking crater. Only a few of the vipers remain alive, and they slither rapidly away from the dangerous genasi, moving down along the hut towards Papolstaanas.
[sblock=ooc]
(For Cillani) Vanguard's Lightning vs. swarm X (1d20+4=19, 1d6+4=10)
Got the DM's hot rolling working
for you this time! Swarm takes max damage: 20. It's bloodied. In fact, it was only one point from being bloodied before, now it's down to 3 HP!
I'm not sure if Cillani would want to move or not. I figure knowing the swarm can shift 3 if she hits it, she will move so she's at least 4 squares away, so I put her at U16.
But the swarm doesn't shift towards her, it shifts to P12. I believe this is okay, P12 is difficult terrain but it can spend two squares of shift movement to get there.[/sblock]
Krassus sobs with gratitude. He looks around at his rescuers, appearing a bit surprised, but he doesn't take long to consider his good fortune, as he takes off towards the nearby burning hut, taking cover behind it.
[sblock=Insight DC 10, active (Azryah/Kaeysari/Chaku only)]You think maybe Krassus was expecting somebody else.[/sblock]
The apparent leader screams out in pain as Kaeysari pins him to the ground with her glaive. He squirms and spits, struggling to free himself. The hue of his body and equipment shifts as he moves, closely matching the ground where he lays, but up close, it doesn't have much effect. He screams in Magari...
[sblock=Magari->Dwarven]
Kill the shifter!
??? blasphemer ???[/sblock]
In response to his command, sling stones bombard Kaeysari and Chaku. One sails over the top of the hut, but the other two strike true. Kaeysari takes another vicious shot to the skull, while the other opens a nasty gash on Chaku's arm. The halfling sniper springs out from his hiding spot behind the drying table and hurries after Krassus.
Another sling stone whizzes by Azryah. The second sniper remains hidden.
As Kaeysari drops unconscious to the ground, the scimitar man rises to his feet - and as he rises, he undergoes a transformation. His face flattens and becomes reptilian, his pupils rotate to vertical slits. His armor, set with ornamental scales, seems to sink into his body, as do his arms, until a long scaly torso remains. By the time he has fully risen, his legs have become a long tail. Where a moment before there was a man, there is now a giant snake!
The wereserpent's transformation appears to have slightly healed his wounds, but he is still in bad shape. He hisses in pain and anger, then lashes out at Chaku, biting the goliath's shoulder. Chaku feels woozy as the wound burns with venom. But the resilient barbarian, though weakened, manages to remain on his feet. The wereserpent spits out a chunk of flesh and gives a hissing laugh, whispering to Chaku.
[sblock=Magari->Dwarven]
You go firssst...[/sblock]
The air in the immediate vicinity of the shapeshifter seems tainted and foul, to Azryah in particular. It seems to be amplifying the poison in her body, making her woozy.
The viper swarms, including what's left of the one blasted by Cillani, seem fixated on Papolstaanas. They struggle against the winds, slip and slide across the frozen ground, trying to reach the warden who still lies vulnerable on the ground. The one that is nearly destroyed gets close enough to attack, but its feeble effort is easily turned aside by the kobold.
[sblock=ooc]Well, ouch... I hope you're not getting discouraged. If you didn't notice yet, this is a tough encounter. I'm not pulling any punches. These guys (except the swarms) do fight smart. To top it all off, I continue to roll pretty well.
But you've done well too, and I think the battle is near a turning point. Both swarms will likely go down this round, and if you can finish off the wereserpent you'll be in pretty good shape. Also, you did really well to save Krassus!
note: I've added a lot more stuff to the enemies block, so be sure to check it out.
Azryah - you're being affected by the wereserpent's aura, see enemies block.
Papolstaanas - sorry, but I think you won't be able to use Font of Life to save against the poison, since you're still in the cloud. (Technically you could make a saving throw, but it won't end the effect either way.) Then there's the swarm auras... good thing you've got so many HP! (Suggestion: don't forget about the Crawl action.)
(renau1g, aren't you jealous, looks like I'll bloody the warden in the first encounter!
)
[/sblock]
[sblock=Mechanics]
Slinger J:
Standard: Stone Rain...
Misses AC 8, hits AC 26 for 16, hits AC 26 for 12 Not two crits this time, but two 19's, and the first was for max damage anyway, ouch.
Kaeysari is down, Chaku is bloodied. Krassus appreciates your noble sacrifice!
Move: to G7. Out in the open now!
Slinger F:
Standard: Touch of Quetzalcoatl vs Azryah, misses. (Lucky her!)
Maybe does more stuff, but he stays hidden due to sniper, so nobody knows...
Wereserpent:
Move: Stand up
Minor: Change shape to serpent.
Attack: Bite vs. Chaku.
hits AC 20 for 7 damage, Chaku weakened and -2 attack.
(Ooops, I forgot the -2 for the mark, but 18 still hits.)
Swarm Q:
Fire damage on snake. (1d6=2)
Move: Run to Q10
Move: Move to P10
Swarm X:
Shifted to P12 as a reaction.
Move: Move to P11
Move: Attack Papolstaanas. Papolstaanas has concealment, and +3 to AC, I need a crit to hit. So naturally,
I rolled a crit. Haha, just kidding, rolled a 9.
The swarm misses.
[/sblock]
[sblock=Status]
19 Kaeysari - K12 -
-1/28 (8/10) (SW used) AP: 0 -
dying!, longtooth shifting
18 Jynxx - S12 -
21/24 (8/8) AP: 1
15 -- BAD GUYS --
Wereserpent - J13
17/38 - bloodied, Oathed, marked(Kaey)
Swarm Q - P10 -
27/44 - slowed EoPNT, marked(Papo), running (grants CA)
Swarm X - P11 -
3/44 - bloodied, slowed EoPNT, marked(Papo), 3 damage on OA EoCNT
Slinger F - ?? -0 - hidden
Slinger J - G7 -0 - SR used
7 Papolstaanas - O10 -
22/35 (12/13) (SW used) AP: 1 - +2 def EoNT, prone, ongoing 5 poison (save ends), form of winter's herald (+1 AC)
4 Cillani - U16 - 23/23 (7/7) AP: 1
2 Chaku - K13 -
2/33 (11/12) (SW used) AP: 0 - bloodied, -2 to attacks + weakened (save ends both)
1 Azryah - K11 -
24/28 (9/9) AP: 1 - ongoing 5 poison (save ends)
0 KRASSUS - L2 -
1/3 hits taken[/sblock]
[sblock=Enemies]
Wereserpent
HP 38, bloodied 19 (Regeneration 5)
AC 17, Fort 16, Ref 15, Will 14; concealment against enemies more than 3 squares away
Venom Enhancement aura 2; each enemy within the aura that has ongoing poison damage takes a -2 penalty to all defenses and saving throws
Basic Attack: Bite +9 vs AC; 1d6 + 4 damage, and the target takes a -2 penalty to attack rolls and is weakened (save ends both)
Zocaltipapatlaca Slinger
HP ??, bloodied ??
AC 17, Fort ??, Ref ??, Will ??
Basic Attack: Dagger, +5 vs AC; 1d4 + 4 damage
Viper Swarm
HP 44, bloodied 22
AC 14, Fort 14, Ref 15, Will 10
Resist: half damage from melee and ranged; Vuln: 10 to close and area
Aura: 1; each enemy that starts its turn within the aura takes 3 damage plus 2 extra damage per viper swarm adjacent to the enemy
Basic Attack: Swarm of Fangs, +4 vs AC; 1d6 damage, and ongoing 5 poison damage (save ends); a creature already taking ongoing poison damage is also weakened (save ends). The viper swarm’s attack deals 1 extra damage for each viper swarm adjacent to it.
Survival Instinct: Immediate reaction, when hit by a close or area attack; the swarm shifts 3 squares.
Gas Cloud
Perception
DC ?? (higher than 22!): The character notices that the pods are swollen and vibrating.
Trigger: Creature enters or starts turn in area
Attack: +5 vs Fortitude
Hit: 1d10 damage plus ongoing 5 poison damage (save ends), and the target is knocked prone (only when trap first goes off). A character cannot succeed on a saving throw against the acid until he or she is out of the poison gas cloud.
Countermeasures
Nature DC ??: A character adjacent to the trap can prevent the pods from falling with a successful check (before the trap is initially triggered). Failure will trigger the trap!
Athletics DC 15: A character can move through the gas cloud without being subject to an attack (but must end his turn outside the cloud).
A character can attack the pods to spring the trap without entering the area (AC 5, Reflex 5, Fortitude 10, 10 hit points).
The gas cloud is also lightly obscured terrain.
[/sblock]
[sblock=Terrain Notes]
Undergrowth (green squares) - difficult terrain, and provides concealment to Small creatures or prone Medium creatures.
Trees (4 squares each around the green tree pictures) - provide cover against enemies on the other side of the center point, where the trunk is. Either horizontal or vertical direction counts for determining "other side". I.e., for the tree at N8 - N9 - O8 - O9, if a creature is in N8, it has cover against enemies who are in rows O or higher, or who are in columns 9 or higher.
Burning trees (reddish squares) - these squares are heavily obscured terrain (from thick smoke), provide cover, and deal 1d6 fire damage to creatures entering or starting their turn in them.
Smoke (grey squares) - lightly obscured terrain (provides concealment).
Huts - Blocking terrain. Can be climbed with a DC 15 Athletics check; climbing distance is 2 squares (so requires 4 squares of movement to reach the top). It is unclear how much weight the thatched roofs can support...
Rooftop - Rooftop squares are difficult terrain. Medium characters, and Small characters in heavy armor, who enter the rooftop area are subject to an attack: +4 vs. Reflex; hit: Immobilized (save ends), as they fall partially through the thatch (but are caught by the wood structure underneath). An immobilized character can also try to free itself by spending a move action to make a DC 15 Athletics check. (The attack only happens when you first get onto the roof, after that you can move on the rooftop and just treat it as normal difficult terrain.)
Cistern - Difficult terrain, and blocks line of sight. You must make a DC 10 Athletics check to clamber over the rim; failure wastes 2 squares of movemnt. You may remain on the rim and move to an adjacent cistern square with a DC 10 Acrobatics check; failure means you fall off the rim into the water (no damage, but see below). You may also simply choose to enter the water, which is difficult terrain, and requires another DC 10 Athletics check to get back up on the rim. From the rim you may enter non-cistern squares normally. (Sheesh, sounds complicated! But basically the idea is checks to move onto and around the rim, or you could just go through it requiring you to go over the rim twice, once in and once out.)
Drying tables - Provides cover if you're behind it. DC 10 Athletics or Acrobatics to jump up on top. Moving on the top is difficult terrain.[/sblock]
[sblock=Map]
[/sblock]
