Adventure: Lord Byron’s Economic Woes (DM: Tenchuu, Judge: H.M.Gimlord)

[Tenchuu]

[sblock=Ice Hazard]
Treacherous Ice Sheet Level 5 Obstacle
A slick sheet of ice creates a hazardous obstacle.
Hazard: This sheet of ice fills 10 contiguous squares, turning them into difficult terrain.
Perception
No check is necessary to notice the ice.
Additional Skill: Nature DC 22: The character identifies the squares of treacherous ice.
Trigger
The ice attacks when a creature enters or begins its turn in a square of treacherous ice. It also attacks when a creature stands up from prone in a square of treacherous ice.
Attack
Opportunity Action Melee
Target: Creature on the ice
Attack: +8 vs. Reflex
Hit: 1d6+2 damage and fall prone. If the creature is already prone, no damage but its turn ends immediately.
Countermeasures
With a DC 27 Acrobatic check and a move action, a character can move into a square of treacherous ice without risk of falling. If the check fails or the character move more than 1 square, the ice attacks.
[/sblock][sblock=Hazard Info]You guys are honest! Good job not reading the DC you didn't make. So, above are the details.

I think Kane could make an athletics check for this first landing. Because I am nice, no additional penalty for jumping onto the ice. On a fail, and for every square left of ice you move in to, go ahead and roll the trap attack.
[/sblock]

 

[ryryguy]

[sblock=Hazard]That ice is extremely problematic. The Acrobatics DC is literally impossible for most of us (if not all of us) to hit. Hergunna only has a +4.

The way it attacks not only when you move into a square, but also when you start in a square or try to stand up in a square, is vicious. It will hit Hergunna 60% of the time. So Hergunna only has a 16% chance of moving across two squares safely, 6% to move across 3 squares, 2% 4 squares. She has a 42% chance of using both move actions to make zero progress while ending up prone. And once that happens she'll continue to have that 42% chance to do nothing with her turn but fail to stand up.

Hergunna is a high dex character, too!

And we have no choice but to try to cross 5 squares of it? I don't know where you got the numbers on this trap from Tenchuu, but frankly, it's too much. I just can't see how it's not going to be a fiasco to try to get across it.

I guess we can crawl to avoid the possibility of taking damage, but in that case once the ice attack hits, our turn ends. In fact, the way I read it, if you end your turn prone on the ice, at the beginning of your next turn the ice gets a free attack on you, and if it hits, your turn ends immediately without the chance to take a single action!

Hergunna can summon her wolf on the far side after moving one square in, but it won't be able to do much on its own.

Any chance of using fire attacks to degrade the ice? (Not sure if we have any fire attacks anyway since Flaming Sphere is used.)

The only other thing we can do is try to slide each other across with forced movement. Hergunna can drop Chill Winds on PCs. But that will damage them (slightly) and only move them one square at a time.

This blows.[/sblock]

 

[Tenchuu]

[sblock=Ice Hazard 2.0?]
As a note, it is a pill; I agree with you there. But there are some creative solutions. R1 already hit on one of them. I think there are a few others. Fire isn't a bad one, but I'm not sure how the mechanics would work. I will discuss with the judge. (BTW, the hazard is from DMG, but perhaps I am using it wrong.)

I could lower the level and XP to 3. How about this version? Just let me know what you guys decide. I don't mind it either way.:

Treacherous Ice Sheet Level 5 Obstacle
A slick sheet of ice creates a hazardous obstacle.
Hazard: This sheet of ice fills 10 contiguous squares, turning them into difficult terrain.
Perception
No check is necessary to notice the ice.
Additional Skill: Nature DC 22: The character identifies the squares of treacherous ice.
Trigger
The ice attacks when a creature enters or begins its turn in a square of treacherous ice. It also attacks when a creature stands up from prone in a square of treacherous ice.
Attack
Opportunity Action Melee
Target: Creature on the ice
Attack: +6 vs. Reflex
Hit: 1d6 damage and fall prone. If the creature is already prone, no damage but its turn ends immediately.
Countermeasures
With a DC 22 Acrobatic check and a move action, a character can move into a square of treacherous ice without risk of falling. If the check fails or the character move more than 1 square, the ice attacks.
[/sblock]

 

[ryryguy]

[sblock=Hazard]Well Tenchuu, with the downgraded version, Hergunna might be able to make it across in three rounds, if she rolls very well. Which is marginally better than the original version, where she has practically no hope of making it across in less than five rounds, unless she gets miraculous rolling, and seven or eight or even more rounds wouldn't be surprising.

I don't want to be a whiny player, but the math is so brutal the way it's written. The problem is not just the numbers, it's how you've used the obstacle, where we have no choice but to cross its entire length to get into the fight... not like the high Acrobatics guy (who we don't have anyway) can take a chance to go through it as a shortcut, or to reach an optional objective or pesky artillery monster. It's just a total, unavoidable roadblock for us.

If using Athletics to jump over means we avoid having to take the attack from entering the square where we land, that helps, but probably only Kane has the skill trained (Hergunna doesn't), so it doesn't help the rest too much.

As far as fire, we have Orbmaster's Incendiary Detonation, I think that's our only fire damage power. It's an area 1, so maybe it could remove or degrade 3 squares of the ice.

Can those statues be moved?[/sblock]

 

[johnmeier1]

[sblock=OOC] I thought the kobolds were moving away from us, so stealth doesn't matter if they aren't even looking our way (they have perception and might hear us though, so after our moves we roll init) I think Tenchuu should set up the initiative and let us go. I guess Kane goes first. On Wil's turn he can slide one ally 4 squares which could either get Kane over (though he is half-way) or get anyone else who tried to move across all the way over (forced movement). There are only 4 of us... Maybe I don't understand the mechanics of the treacherous ice, but how can we not crawl along it?
[/sblock]

 

[ryryguy]

[sblock=ooc]My understanding is that combat has started, we are in initiative, in the middle of Kane's turn... not sure what he's waiting for, does he need clarification about whether the ice attacks him after his jump lands? That wasn't totally clear to me anyway.

As far as stealth, if we are in combat, there is no "facing", if the kobolds have a clear line of sight to us, they see us.

john, actually I was thinking about it and we can make it over the ice eventually by crawling, but it could take a long time. Here's how it would break down.

Move: enter ice square 1. Make acrobatics check; on success, you can either stop or move one more square, at which point the ice "attacks". On fail, the ice attacks immediately.
Ice Attacks: on a hit, you are prone (and take a little damage), and the move ends. If you succeed, you can move one more square, triggering the ice attacking you again.
Although... wait, I guess it's an opportunity action, so it can only attack once on your turn? I totally missed that. That makes a huge difference. So once you've been missed by the attack, you can now move normally. Though it's still difficult terrain.

So, anyway... I guess if the ice hits and you go prone, you ought to use your second move action to stand up (and it can't attack again this round). You're now done. Alternatively, you could use your second move action to crawl. However, going at half speed through difficult terrain means you will only be able to advance one square. And then when your next turn starts, the ice immediately attacks you at the start of your turn. If it hits, since you are already prone, your turn immediately ends and you can do nothing. So I think the better move is to stand. If the ice hits at the start of your turn then, it will knock you prone, but at least you can stand up and move again.

Wow, the fact that it can only attack you once per round really makes a huge difference. I was thinking it would attack for each square you entered or stood up in. It will still potentially be a big pain, and I think may still be worth using the fire power to help if we can. But it changes it from "nearly impossible" to merely "big pain".

Sorry for pushing the panic button prematurely.[/sblock]

 

[renau1g]

Kane lands on the slippery ice, but manages to stay on his feet. He tries to clear the last of it, but fails and lands at the last of the ice patch.

[sblock=ooc]
Init is 23 (from last post)
OA from ice:
vs ref; dmg (1d20+8=14, 1d6+2=7) miss...
Standard: athletics again to try and jump rest of way. As mentioned before, I rolled a 16/10 = 1.6 squares so I should land in -K5
[/sblock]


[sblock=ministats]Kane Male Bugbear Barbarian 4
Initiative: +6, Passive Perception: 12, Passive Insight: 12, Senses: Low-light
AC:20, Fort:19, Reflex:18, Will:14
HP:47/47, Bloodied:23, Surge Value:11, Surges left:5/10
Action Points: 1
Powers:
Howl of Fury
Whirling Rend
Predatory Eye
Whirling Lunge
Whirling Frenzy
Brutal Slam
Shrug it Off
Swift Panther Rage

Important Stuff:
+1d8 damage when charging. Cool stuff happens when he bloodies or kills a bad guy

Conditions:

Full sheet: L4WC:Kane (renau1g - ENWiki) [/sblock]

 

[Tenchuu]

[sblock=OOC]Your turn...[/sblock]
"uh-AHHH!" the woman yelled as Kane bounded over towards her; the bugbear looked as menacing as the kobolds to the commoner. But she looked passed Kane and saw the band of Humans. "Help Me!!"

"Ssssilence!!!" The lead minion repeated, then noticing Kane, they recoiled in shock. "Intruders!"

The slyblade took one look at Kane, and ducked back behind the wall ahead. The two minions tried to pull the captive along, but she struggled, and they didn't get very far.

[sblock=Ice Hazard]
OKay... so since the OA once per turn seems to make this thing no longer impossible, going back to the original trap. I'd say the fire spell would melt the ice in that area +1, but with my DM insight, I would save the encounter power for the battle ahead.

Treacherous Ice Sheet Level 5 Obstacle
A slick sheet of ice creates a hazardous obstacle.
Hazard: This sheet of ice fills 10 contiguous squares, turning them into difficult terrain.
Perception
No check is necessary to notice the ice.
Additional Skill: Nature DC 22: The character identifies the squares of treacherous ice.
Trigger
The ice attacks when a creature enters or begins its turn in a square of treacherous ice. It also attacks when a creature stands up from prone in a square of treacherous ice.
Attack
Opportunity Action Melee
Target: Creature on the ice
Attack: +8 vs. Reflex
Hit: 1d6+2 damage and fall prone. If the creature is already prone, no damage but its turn ends immediately.
Countermeasures
With a DC 27 Acrobatic check and a move action, a character can move into a square of treacherous ice without risk of falling. If the check fails or the character move more than 1 square, the ice attacks.
[/sblock][sblock=Mechanics]
Placeholder...
[/sblock][sblock=Status]
Wil Rando: J1 33/33 HS 8/10 AP 1 MW 2,
Mervin: I2 27/27 THP 0/3 HS 2/7 AP 1,
Hergunna: H3 41/41 HS 8/9 AP 1
Kane: I0 47/47 THP 0/3 HS 5/10 AP 1,
Stanng: [Miner Hut] 28/31 THP 0/3 HS 7/10 AP 1

Captive Human: -K3 1/1

Enemies:
Kobold Minion: -L3 1/1
Kobold Minion: -J3 1/1
Kobold Slyblade: -M0 42/42
???

[/sblock][sblock=map]

[/sblock][sblock=Enemies]
Kobold Minion
Initiative +3 Senses Perception +1; darkvision
HP 1; a missed attack never damages a minion.
AC 15; Fortitude 11, Reflex 13, Will 11
Speed 6
Javelin (standard, at-will) Weapon
+5 vs AC; 4 damage.
Javelin (standard, at-will) Weapon
Ranged 10/20; +5 vs AC; 4 damage. Ammo: x3
Shifty (minor; at-will)
The kobold shifts 1 square as a minor action.
Trap Sense
The kobold gains a +2 bonus to all defenses against traps.
Alignment Evil Languages Common, Draconic
Skills Stealth +4, Thievery +4

Kobold Slyblade
Initiative +10 Senses Perception +3; darkvision
HP 42; Bloodied 21
AC 18; Fortitude 12, Reflex 16, Will 14; see also trap sense
Speed 6
Short Sword (standard; at-will)
+9 vs. AC; 1d6 damage.
Twin Slash (standard; at-will)
Requires combat advantage; the kobold slyblade makes 2 short sword attacks. If both attacks hit the same target, the target takes ongoing 5 damage (save ends).
Combat Advantage
The kobold slyblade deals an extra 1d6 damage on melee attacks against any target it has combat advantage against.
Sly Dodge (immediate interrupt, when targeted by a melee or a
ranged attack; at-will)
The kobold slyblade redirects the attack to an adjacent kobold minion.
Shifty (minor; at-will)
The kobold shifts 1 square.
Trap Sense
The kobold gains a +2 bonus to all defenses against traps.
Alignment Evil Languages Common, Draconic
Skills Acrobatics +11, Stealth +13, Thievery +13
[/sblock]

 

[renau1g]

"Don't worry, Kane will save you!" the bugbear calls out as he struggles to maintain his footing on the ice.

[sblock=ooc]
So Kane's already gone this init right?[/sblock]

 

[ryryguy]

[sblock=next...]I'm not sure if we'll still be able to get the angle for Mervin to attack without moving onto the ice, now that the minions have moved slightly. But if he can, that's still probably his best move.

I guess Hergunna can start across the ice now, see how far she gets.

Kane might still get hit by the ice and knocked prone at the start of his turn, but even if so he can stand and charge so hopefully he can get at least one of the minions.

Wil could also attack a minion, or use his utility to slide someone across the ice. Maybe wait and see who has the worse time of it, Hergunna or Mervin. He's going to have a really hard time getting over himself with that low Reflex defense, but I'm not sure what we can do, he can't use that power on himself. Maybe we should try something with a rope.[/sblock]