The Heroes of Dyvers Chapter Six

[Tellerian Hawke]

Meanwhile, on the Other Side of Town...

GM: SYLVAR: You might have noticed that I had to edit your post slightly. Sorry bud, but random encounters do happen. This was just a stroke of bad luck.

Sylvar, it's twilight, and growing darker by the minute. Your destination, marked "D" on the map, is the Blue Pony Inn; you are headed Northeast, up a side street, and it's very wide and open, unlike most narrow alleyways, and it's not really the place you'd expect an ambush...

However, this street is very poorly lit, and is almost completely deserted. Two passers-by see the thugs come from around the building to catch you... and they quickly turn away and run, not bothering to raise any kind of alarm!

GM: Sylvar, you need to make a Spot Check DC 36, and a Listen Check DC 24. If you make either one of those checks, you are not surprised. Otherwise, you're in deep trouble.

 

[Tellerian Hawke]

AMBUSH ON REDWINE BLVD!

GM: Sylvar makes his listen check (27 on a DC 24) , and senses danger! (He is not surprised) Intiatives: Thug #1: 21 Thug #2: 15 Sylvar: 9 The Thugs still have the drop on Sylvar, but if he manages to survive, he will get to act this round. Both thugs need to move 10 feet in order to reach Sylvar. Therefore, each only gets 1 attack. Sylvar is flat-footed. The second thug will have a flanking bonus of +2 to hit.

GM: Thug #1: Attacking with Rapier: 21 (Hit) Base Damage: 1d6+1 = 4 pts. Sneak Attack (5d6): 22 pts. TOTAL DAMAGE: 26 pts.

GM: Thug #2: Attacking with Rapier 27, +2 Flank = 29 (Hit) Base Damage: 1d6+1 = 4 pts. Sneak Attack (5d6): 18 pts. TOTAL DAMAGE: 22 pts. SYLVAR HAS TAKEN A TOTAL OF 48 points of damage! SYLVAR HAS 21 HIT POINTS REMAINING!

The first thug steps on a discarded, crumpled-up piece of paper as he is coming out of the shadows; the sound is not loud, but it is just enough to alert Sylvar to the impending treachery!

Sylvar, you wince with AGONY as you feel the thin blade of a rapier pierce your left shoulder COMPLETELY! Your blood squirts onto the shirt of the second thug, as he moves in on your front flank, stabbing you again while you are still off balance! The second thug's rapier finds your right-side flank, BARELY MISSING your kidney, but nonetheless skewering you badly!

Both thugs seem pretty shocked to see that you are still standing! However, they realize, as you do, that your wounds are GRAVE, and that the advantage in this fight is clearly THEIRS!

SYLVAR: IT'S YOUR TURN! What do you do?!?

 

[Sylvar B.]

Sylvar defensively casts greater invisibility on himself.

OOC: Must beat Concentration Check DC 19, Rolled 26

 

[Tellerian Hawke]

The Tables Are Turned In Sylvar's Favor!

GM: As per our discussion on FB Messenger, Sylvar will turn himself invisible with Greater Invisibility and attempt to move out of melee range, so that he can use his bow to greatest advantage. This round, he will turn invisible, and move. He has already succeeded on his Concentration check to Cast Defensively. OTTER SYSTEM RULES CLARIFICATION: INVISIBLE OPPONENTS IN CLOSE-QUARTERS COMBAT: Process to get Attack of Opportunity on Invisible creature: 1. You know which square they were in when they turned invisible. 2. If the opponent moves from his original square, you can perceive this by making a Spot or Listen check (choose ONE, you don't have time to do both!) based on your distance from the invisible opponent: Opponent started moving within 5' of you DC 10 Opponent started moving within 10' of you DC 15 Opponent was 15-30 feet away from you DC 20 Opponent was 31+ feet away from you Cannot Detect This check is only to discover that the opponent has begun to move. It provides no other benefit, nor does it allow you to determine the opponent's exact location, unless your opponent is within 30' of you and your skill check can beat a DC of 40. If you are able to determine your opponent's exact location, then proceed to step 4. Even knowing what square they're in isn't enough to guarantee success; invisibility is simply too great an advantage. 3. In the chaos of battle, you can't tell in which direction the invisible creature went; thus, if you want to make an attack of opportunity, you have to choose a square that you threaten, and attack that square. If you choose the wrong square, you miss, period. (Although the DM will still tell you to roll the 50% miss chance, so that you are uncertain as to WHY you missed.) 4. If you choose the correct square, roll % dice; 01-50 = you missed. 51-00 = you have a chance to hit. 5. If you have a chance to hit, make an attack roll at a -5 penalty. If you hit, then deal damage normally. 6. On attacks vs. invisible opponents, sneak attack NEVER APPLIES, because you cannot take advantage of discernible anatomy nor of advantageous positioning.

GM: Listen Check DC 10: 27, 17 (Both thugs detect Sylvar beginning to move. Neither thug can pinpoint exactly where.) 1d10 Roll To Determine Square Choice (3 or 4 succeeds): 6, 7 (Both fail.)

Both thugs are shocked to see Sylvar vanish, but they recover quickly.

Thug #2 hisses, "He's invisible!"

Both thugs begin stabbing the air frantically when they detect Sylvar beginning to move, but neither of them is able to guess correctly, and Sylvar slips away to a distance of 40 feet down the street, a mere 10 feet from the entrance doors of the Blue Pony.

~You guys tangled with the WRONG BARD~ Sylvar muses inwardly, drawing his bow as he reaches his intended position.

GM: ROUND TWO:

GM: Morale Check DC 10: 18, 19 (Both succeed)

Thug #1 moves 30 feet in Sylvar's direction, and pauses to listen.

GM: Since Sylvar isn't currently moving, the DC is Base 20. Roll = 14 (Fail)

The thug is intently searching for Sylvar, but seems unable to pinpoint him. As a precaution, he pulls a small, intestinal bladder from his pocket. The bladder is round in shape, and looks as if it is about to burst from the amount of liquid inside it.

GM: Drawing the bladder is his second move action; he's done for this round.

Thug #2 moves 30 feet in the other direction, and does the same thing.

Thug #2: "Do you sense him? I don't think he came my way!"

SYLVAR: IT'S YOUR TURN! What do you do?

GM: Thug #1 is Point Blank Range (10' away) Thug #2 is 70' away

GM: NOTE: Since Sylvar was wounded BEFORE he turned invisible, the blood on his clothing became invisible also. HOWEVER, as Sylvar continues to bleed each round, although he will not technically be taking damage from the bleeding, the thugs will have a gradually improving chance to detect him, by noticing the trail of blood from his wounds.

 

[Sylvar B.]

Sylvar steps 5 feet backward, conjuring a Mystic Arrow in the process. He aims carefully, and fires. As he lets loose, he thinks to himself.. ~Die you bastard.~

OOC: Three attack rolls: 23, 34, 25 (all hit; AC was 17) Resulting damage: 26 pts.

 

[Tellerian Hawke]

The Bladders are Gone, and the Arrows are Plentiful! FIRE!

The Thug is dismayed to find that you were so close to him, and that you have a bow! You put three arrows into flight in the space of a couple of seconds, which seems to be just a bit too much for him to handle.

Years of living on the streets allow him to dodge your first arrow completely, and to get only a bloody ear from your second one; however, your third arrow lands squarely in his upper torso, just beneath the collar bone. The thug screams in agony as your arrow finds purchase! It is a grievous wound, and begins to bleed profusely!

GM: All three arrows hit and inflicted damage; but hit points aren't all organs and blood. Some of them are expended doing things like dodging and getting nicked and scraped. It isn't until you're low on hit points that you start to see major injuries.

GM: Round Three

Thug #1 lobs the small bladder in Sylvar's direction, but mis-judges Sylvar's location, and overthrows by 10 feet to Sylvar's right flank; the bladder lands BEHIND Sylvar, 10 feet away, splattering (ironically) blue ink all over the entrance door to the Blue Pony Inn, and splashing ink onto everything within 5' of the doors, which fortunately DOES NOT include Sylvar. The thug curses under his breath, and begins to flee to the Southwest.

GM: Lobbing the bladder counted as an attack; the thug has a single move action left. He moves a distance of 30 feet, which makes his total distance to Sylvar (by the end of the round) exactly 45 feet. Thus, when it is Sylvar's turn to attack, his opponent will no longer be within point blank range.

Thug #2 sees these events unfolding, and gets a hardened look on his face; the fact that his companion has chosen to flee does not sit well with him. He begins moving toward his friend, and gets just about even with him by the time he can lob his own ink bladder. As he does so, he curses at Thug #1.

Thug #2: "You fool! The Shadow will not tolerate our failure!"

GM: Thug #2 is also now 45 feet from Sylvar's position. Judging by where his companion threw his own bladder, and attempting to make an adjustment for his own throw, he lobs the bladder high, his target being at long range for the non-aerodynamic device. [-6 to hit from range.] Total AC to hit intended square: 11. Based on his guess, he has a choice of 10 squares that could possibly allow him to discover Sylvar's position. I am setting Sylvar's location as 4, with all other results indicating other squares at various distances around him. Roll = 7 (Miss); Direction = 1 (Straight behind); Range = long, so device was thrown high on purpose. If the bladder had been thrown at a flatter trajectory, it would have landed 5 feet behind Sylvar, subjecting him to possible ink splatters. However, the bladder lands high, bursting on the roof of the dormer that overlooks the tavern entrance. Most of the bladder's ink ends up on the roof, with only a few droplets spraying to the right side towards Sylvar; since Sylvar is 15 feet below and 5 feet in front of the dormer's roof, the ink will not have enough splatter distance to affect Sylvar.

Thug #2: "Curses most foul! Where can he be?!?"

SYLVAR: IT'S YOUR TURN! What do you do?

GM: Both of your opponents are 45 feet from your position, ironically, at just about the position ("O") you started in at the beginning of the encounter. You are standing at just about where the "D" is. (Positions are approximate.) Both of your opponents are denied their Dex bonuses against your attacks; therefore, no matter which thug you choose to attack, you'll be trying to hit an AC of 17.

 

[Diarmadhim]

Taking all of the information in, including the count and type of potential enemies, I nod in understanding. "My forces are not currently enough to have a guaranteed chance of winning against such odds... I will not throw the lives of my men away in vain. Better to all assist Respen and then use our combined might to move against the steading. I will leave instructions with Avram to start gathering forces near Hochoch.

 

[Sylvar B.]

Sylvar takes aim at the wounded Rogue, and will fire 2 arrows at him. He saves the third for the other man.

OOC: Attack rolls, 36/34 (crit confirmed) and 12 (miss), Damage: 6 and 28

 

[Tellerian Hawke]

MORTAL COMBAT NARRATOR VOICE: "SYLVAR... WINS!"

Sylvar lets 2 arrows fly toward the fleeing thug (Thug #1); the first arrow skips off the top of his head, effectively scalping him, and causing him to cry out in dismay, but he continues with his forward momentum, still intent upon flight.

However, the second arrow hits him in the middle of his back, punching through to skewer his lungs, dropping him like a deer on a foggy morning.

Sylvar's third arrow, directed at the second thug, flies wide, missing him entirely.

GM: Previous damage: 26 pts. First arrow: 6 pts. Second arrow (crit): 28 pts. TOTAL DAMAGE: 60 points. Thug #1: 47 - 60 = -13 [Dead]

GM: Round Four

Upon seeing his companion fall, Thug #2 decides to cut his losses; he turns and flees, moving Southwest at a full sprint; he moves 30 feet before turning the Eastern corner, and vanishing from sight.

GM: Full Sprint in Light Armor = x4 movement = 120 ft.; after turning the corner, he can travel another 90 feet in any given direction, including turning other corners if so desired. He's gone.

GM: END OF COMBAT

SYLVAR: You are wounded, one of your foes is lying dead in the middle of the street, and his companion has fled. What do you do?

 

[Sylvar B.]

Sylvar staggers and falls against the Tavern's outer wall. He takes a few steps toward the door, but sits down outside it, still invisible. He holds the invisibility spell, in case there are more brigands about, and casts a spell to heal his wounds.

OOC: Sylvar casts Cure Moderate Wounds, He heals 16 points of damage

After healing his wounds he walks over and searches the body for clues to his identity or affiliation.
He'll use Detect Magic to help him find what might be on the Rogue.

OOC: Search roll = 16

Sylvar isn't in the mood for the companion of a barmaid, and figures that Abigail has spirits back in her tower. He'll maintin his invisibility for as long as possible until he steps foot back in the company of his friends, at which point he will release the spell, find something strong to drink and tell his friends about his ordeal, and anything he found on the body, and what he heard the men say about the shadow.