nerdytenor's The Missing Warlock

[covaithe]

"Die, you blighted cur!" snarls Karis through gritted teeth as the hound's wasting touch saps her energy. Nearing the end of her tricks, she calls on the magic of her sword to distract the dog, giving her an opening for a lightning thrust.

[sblock=ooc]Karis takes 5 necrotic damage, but saves (16) to end the effect.

Minor: use Duellist's weapon power to grant CA for the next attack this turn.
Standard: Riposte strike, +11 vs AC hits AC 28 for 14 damage. The riposte, if needed, is a natural 20, doing max dmg of 10, plus an additional 5 from the magic weapon. If I've been counting right, that should be enough to drop the thing before it can bite Karis again. If so...
Move: to flank Todarr's opponent.
[/sblock]

 

[nerdytenor]

[sblock=Karis OOC]
Your attack will not drop the hound this turn, but yes the riposte will if the hound attacks you next turn.
You are currently prone. Do you want to stand up this turn? You could 1) stand 2) use weapon minor 3) attack?
[/sblock]

 

[covaithe]

[sblock=OOC]Ugh! Yes, of course you're right. I completely forgot about being prone, and that it would probably take the riposte to kill it, which won't allow me to move toward Todarr. So, your suggestion is just right: stand up, weapon power, attack.
[/sblock]

 

[PennStud77]

Todarr shifts up to his knees and attempts a strong swing upwards to stand (again) and attack in the same motion (flavor only).

Wolf Pack Tactics: 17 + 6 = 23 vs. AC, for 5 +3 = 8 damage.

Should H3 drop (doubtful, but just covering bases), I will move to flanking position with Karis against H2.

And at the end of turn, takes 5 necrotic damage and saves with 13

 

[BlueLotus]

Moreen looks over her shoulder to her companions. Realizing she isn't fighting very efficiently, begins to back towards the rest of the group. "Mardrick, we're going to move towards the others. Slowly now." She thrusts her sword forward again, then takes a few steps backward, judging the creature's reaction.

[sblock=actions]standard action - bolstering strike
move action - shift 1 square towards the majority of the group. Moreen is trying to make sure the hound will follow her and not turn on Mardrick when she retreats to the group, or at least give Mardrick some time to get closer to the others. Regardless, protecting Mardrick trumps any other tactics Moreen tries to pull.[/sblock]

 

[The Digger]

Joshua smiled as Moreen began her fighting retreat; just the thing! As the hound leapt snarling at the paladin Joshua slipped around behind and smote the beast mightily with his staff. His frustration was obvious in the vigour with which he struck!

[sblock=OOC]Staff Melee attack; 19+7=26; damage 6+2=8: http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1711528/ [/sblock]

[sblock=Rational]I have assumed the beast did follow Moreen and that Joshua managed to get flanking on the beast (+2 to attack giving the 26 result above). If not I assume the resulting 24 will still hit. If I do manage to flank then Moreen also will get +2 to attack.[/sblock]

 

[nerdytenor]

Karis's blade nearly ends the (un)life of the hound. It steps backwards, its head held low, and runs back into the forest.

Moreen swings at her beast, but she overreaches, her blade sticking into the dirt. She steps backwards, keeping Mardrick behind her. The hound fnially manages a taste of her flesh.

Rellek remains unstoppable, catching the head of the beast between his axes, preventing its attack.

Todarr finally manages to hold his ground, parrying the beasts attack. He strikes back, inflicting further damage.

Joshua circles around the back of the beast near Moreen and Mardrick, striking it with his staff and nearly killing it. Mardrick raises his hands and his blue flame finishes the job. "Did you see that?" He shakes Joshua. "Did you see that? I killed it! Me! Ha ha!"

The two remaining beasts, perhaps retaining some memory of their former wolf lives, seem to sense the fight is lost. They back away slowly from Rellek and Todarr and run into different parts of the forest.

"We did it?" Mardrick says after a few seconds of silence. "We did it!!" He lets out a whoop and throws his arms around Moreen, and then backs away, remembering himself.

[sblock=Results]
Karis takes 5 damage
Moreen takes 6 damage
[/sblock]

[sblock=Final Status]
Spend surges as you see fit.

Joshua (30/30)
Mardrick (15/16 (3 surges left))
Rellek (37/37)
Moreen (34/40)
Todarr (12/29)
Karis (25/29)
[/sblock]

 

[covaithe]

Karis, perversely annoyed that the hound-things ran away just as the fight finally turned against them, kicks one of the corpses viciously. She bends down to have a closer look at it. "These things certainly aren't natural. Do you think that they're part of this blight, too, or do uncanny things like that live in this forest normally? I tried to get one of them to stand in these flowers to see if they affected it, but I didn't notice anything."

[sblock=ooc]I kept forgetting to mention that during the fight, but I was trying to maneuver so that H2 was standing in a flower patch. Dunno if I succeeded or not.[/sblock]

 

[BlueLotus]

Moreen is startled by Mardrick's hug, but she chuckles to herself and gives the warlock a clap on the shoulder with her gauntlet clad hand and grins. "Yes we did. Just try to not make fighting to the death a habit. It's a bad one."

She stows her shield, sheathes her sword after wiping it clean, and peels off her helmet, speaking as she does. Perhaps the ones we slayed can give us clues as to whether or not they're blighted."

 

[nerdytenor]

"Wait, I have an idea." Mardrick cuts down a flower from one of the flower patches and places it in the open wound of one of the dead hounds. It starts to pale a bit. "Very interesting. Perhaps whoever has been using the stones tested it on these beasts first? Or used them as attack hounds? Impossible to say for sure."

Mardrick appears dismayed. "There is too much going on here, I can't wrap my mind around it all... We must focus. I need to get home and rescue my wife, but I don't know how I can do that without..." He sighs. "Surely whatever dark force is at work here will be looking for me. Taking the road risks being seen, not to mention being attacked by thieves, although you're all quite a bit tougher than them from what I've seen."

"Then there's the forest - good cover, and shorter, but you'd have to be a bit on the crazy side to go through there..."

"Then there's the question of what to do when we _do_ get there."

He looks at each of you. "You are all heroes, clearly. I owe you my life. I must defer to your judgement in this time of peril. Tell me, what should we do?"