Surprise Round
[sblock=ooc]Because of the nature of the party split, it doesn't matter so much this time around, but for future reference: You can ready a Standard, Move, Swift, or Free action, but "ready action," no matter the type readied, takes a Standard. You can't ready all your actions for a turn; in that case, you're really just using the Delay action, anyway.
Like I said, it's not really relavent this go 'round, but I thought it a reasonable opportunity to clear it up against future need. [/sblock]
The others steel themselves against need as Erin and Wilmorn make the long trek along the wall. Aszar checks his fit in the saddle, Kepli calls to mind her magics, and Siddhartha draws a bead on the inattentive Orc on the wall.
The pair of scouts make it almost all the way around, finding no success at discovering easy entrance. They pass first one battlement tower, then another. It's as the round the second that Erin catches sight of another body on the wall: A human wearing gleaming scale mail, carrying a shield in her left hand and a javelin in the right. This is likely the voice they heard before.
The tiefling makes a subtle gesture to alert Wilmorn, but the ranger not only manages to miss it, he doesn't even notice Erin's stopped moving until he stumbles loudly into her back.
The warrior on the wall isn't nearly so oblivious. Her head snaps to and her eyes lock on Wilmorn and Erin. She raises her javelin, shouting "Intruders!"
CURRENT MAP
[sblock=Environmental Notes]* Any square with debris in it is difficult terrain.
* Targets on the wall have a cover bonus against ranged attacks from anyone in a ground-level square adjacent to the wall.
* Targets on the wall have a cover bonus against ranged attacks which pass through more than 1 plane of walls (e.g., the orc has a bonus against Siddhartha at his current position).
* Targets in gound-level squares adjascent to the wall have a cover bonus against ranged attacks from anyone on the wall. [/sblock]
[sblock=ooc]Distance and the Dazzled condition were Wilmorn's friends against the Orc, but that truly awful Stealth score was never going to make it past the human, I'm afraid.
The good news is that the party won initiative.
Right now we're in the surprise round. Wilmorn and Erin can each take one Standard or Move action (but not both) before the human. Everyone on the other side of the map, however, will have to wait until Round 1 (after the human acts from the wall).
DM fiat: for the course of this battle, I'm giving Wilmorn a base level power-up to correspond with the level he should, by all rights, be: he gains 9 HP, +1 BAB, +1 Fort and Reflex saves.
Also,
for the duration of this fight only he can gain the benefit of one of the Ranger fighting styles. I'm not locking someone else's character in, but it also seems unfair to deny a 2nd level Ranger the ability he should have. We'll call it a weird deific intervention that Wilmorn can't explain. Maybe he's been possessed by his former mentor. Who knows?
That said, current stats. LOOK THESE OVER NOW FOR ERRORS OR FOREVER DEAL WITH THE CONSEQUENCES:
Party:
Wilmorn 21/21, Str 16/18
Erin 14/14, Str 9/12
Siddhartha 12/17
Kepli 13/20
Scuttle 6/6
Aszar 14/14
Klot'Kar 3/3
Horsie 15/15
Baddies:
Human: 40/40, AC 17 (T:9, FF:16)
Orc 6/6, AC 13 (T:10, FF:13), Dazzled (-1 attacks & Perception)
Anyone else in or around the fort: like I'm telling...
[/sblock]
Wilmorn and Erin are up.
[sblock=Mini Stats]
