The Kolloseaum: Team Go Hard or Go Home (DM: Iron Sky, Judge: Luinnar)

[Son of Meepo]

OOC: I'll take care of all of this tonight when I get home. I already have a token pic set up. As far as starting location, I have to say, that this objective set doesn't favor Dina at all. She likes having her allies close by and it looks like the initial setup favors us being spread out a bit. Also, I am limited in the number of ranged attacks I can make by the number of javelins I possess. I'd probably like to stick close to the Barbarian since he's my best target for lazylord goodness. Should I use my Punishing Eye and keep it hovering over the city? I'm not sure if Rilissa has anything better to do, but if the rule is that a district is lost for the entire encounter by having a monster end their own turn in it, then maybe she should be parked outside the wall and ready actions to Lightning Lure them back out. (Is that a valid tactic or do the walls block forced movement?)

 

[WEContact]

OOC: Punishing Eye only covers a burst 3 area, so if you put it in the city it wouldn't have much effect unless the goblins got over the walls, which we don't want to happen. I say save that one for another fight. I can ready Pressing Strikes to push things away from the wall, but I think I'm better off getting out there and just trying to kill as many of them as I can. Dina, if you need to get out there to follow me around and grant me attacks, I'm certainly not going to argue.

 

[Medina]

OOC: I think we'll end up all close together, for what it's worth. I think it won't be too long before we're all camped in the Plaza, making sure no-one can get in by occupying it ourselves. I certainely think we want 4 of us (3 if I use the toad) ready to step in there quickly if we need to. The Plaza is, I think, the only place where that works sensibly too, I think the other areas are all too big. It's a shame they need to end they're turn there rather than start their turn there.

 

[Son of Meepo]

OOC: My thinking is once they are in the city, we want to kill them quickly or else they will just take over another district on their next turn. I agree with Medina. Having them start their turn in a district to take it sounds more manageable to me. There's not much we can do to actually prevent any given creature from entering if they manage to roll well on their climb check.

 

[Medina]

OOC: I've had another look at the rules, and I think we're in real trouble. I'm really hoping we're facing a few tough but slow creatures. If there's 6 creatures with movement 4, we can lose on turn 1 on their initiative as they can take all territories except the Plaza and Bluffhold if they just move twice.

 

[Faraque]

OOC: I definitely agree that having the monster start their turn in the city to occupy makes more sense, due to simply being able to rush the city and win turn one.

 

[WEContact]

OOC: Under the current rules, we have to win initiative and kill every enemy within two rounds at most, UNLESS the enemy demonstrates poor tactics and chooses to fight back when engaged outside the city, instead of attempting to disengage and make a break for unclaimed districts.

 

[VanderLegion]

"This looks to be interesting. I believe I'll head to the forest on the northwestern edge of the city. I should be able to help pull people away from the city walls." She stares out at the model city, visibly impressed by the worksmanship.

[sblock="My plan?"]

OOC: Unless anyone has a better idea, I'll head to D-6. I plan to use Lightning Lure to pull enemies to me, and once I get a couple occupied there, shadow jaunt out and flame cyclone them.

[/sblock]

"That is a remarkable feat of craftsmanship," Sha'kar says, staring out over the miniaturized city. I'll stick with Rilissa and help ensure the goblins on our side die as quickly as possible.

OOC: This is where a controller would be handy... Anyway, best we can do is kill them as fast as we can and assume they have tactics set up that consist of more than just "rush into the city as fast as we can to occupy it ignoring everything else". Maybe there'll be minions so they die really easy...

 

[WEContact]

OOC: I'd like to second the suggestion that zones become claimed at the start of an enemy's turn, so that we have a chance to kill/bull rush things that try to occupy the city. Otherwise, if the enemy a)outnumbers us OR b)is tactically sound OR c)higher than level 1 OR c)we miss a few times in a row, we will lose, no question. Either way, a good tactic might be to try to set up a perimeter and ready actions to knock back goblins who attempt to climb the wall. We all have at-will forced movement, and they won't be able to trigger Goblin Tactics if we miss them on their turns. I can guard a 7-square stretch of wall, since Pressing Strike includes a 2-square shift before the attack. Ooooh, the problem then is if more than one goblin goes after the same stretch of wall. :/

 

[Iron Sky]

The Plaza is, I think, the only place where that works sensibly too, I think the other areas are all too big. It's a shame they need to end they're turn there rather than start their turn there.

GM: Good point. I'll change it to "start their turn in a district" so the group has a chance to react to them. Don't have time to get the round started until late tonight.

 

[Son of Meepo]

Here is my token picture.

[sblock=picture]

[/sblock]

Also remember that Dina has Combat Leader, so everyone gets +2 to initiative.

 

[VanderLegion]

Here is my token picture.

[sblock=picture]

[/sblock]

Also remember that Dina has Combat Leader, so everyone gets +2 to initiative.

OOC: Good to know, that makes mine a 21 then. Also, I'm assuming for a combat like this we'd start with weapons ready, in which case I'm going to start out w/ my crossbow till we get into melee with the goblins.

 

[Faraque]

OOC: Woo, my init's 12 now! lol

 

[WEContact]

OOC: My Initiative is now also 12. Thanks, Dina.

 

[Iron Sky]

Match One: The Assault on Anakabar, Round 0

No sooner is the group in position than the forcefield surrounding the arena drops suddenly, letting two-dozen goblins rush in. As they do so, an elegant voice booms out across the crowd.

"Anakabar had been under siege for nearly a year when the goblin commander Warmonger Rikroc's heard of an army sailing to the rescue. His four armies closed on the city from all sides, two mighty sorcerers flinging spells from the vanguard of their armies."

The goblins cheer and make rude gestures at the group standing inside the miniature city.

"Arrayed against them was a handful of valiant heroes facing down the horde, knowing there would be no quarter asked nor given. The few city defenders rallied around the heroes, but if they couldn't contain the goblin horde before it breached the walls and the city began to fall, their soldiers would rout and the heroes themselves would be quickly cut down. It might have gone something like this..."

GM: I didn't know where you wanted Sha'kar, so I put him down to cover the south-west as much as possible.

[sblock=Initiatives]Corragan: 23
Sha'kar: 21
Rilissa: 15
Goblins: 13
Ignatz: 12
Dina: 11

Corragan, Sha'kar, and Rilissa are up in any order. Then the monsters will go. Then the PCs will all go in any order. Then all the monsters. Etc.[/sblock]

[sblock=Combatants]-Party-
Corragan: H12
Sha'kar: M9
Rilissa: H8
Ignatz: J7
Dina: J8

-Enemy-
All enemies have the Goblin Tactics power: Immediate Reaction when missed by an attack; the Goblin shifts 1 square.

Goblin Warmonger Rikroc: A1, +2 AC/Ref, concealment
Goblin Warmonger: 46 HP, AC 18, Fort 16, Ref 17, Will 16. MBA: +9 vs AC, 1d8+6 damage.

Goblin Sorcerer 1: A17, +2 AC/Ref
Goblin Sorcerer 2: T5, +2 AC/Ref
Goblin Sorcerer: 46 HP, AC 17, Fort 14, Ref 15, Will 16. MBA: +8 vs AC, 1d6+7 damage and slide 1.

Goblin Sniper 1: C1, +1 AC/Ref, concealment
Goblin Sniper 2: A15, +1 AC/Ref
Goblin Sniper 3: T7, +1 AC/Ref
Goblin Sniper 4: L1, +2 AC/Ref
Goblin Sniper: Minion, AC 13, Fort 12, Ref 14, Will 12. MBA: +6 vs AC, 4 damage.

Goblin Assaulter 1: D1
Goblin Assaulter 2: A3, +1 AC/Ref, concealment
Goblin Assaulter 3: T3, +1 AC/Ref
Goblin Assaulter 4: T8
Goblin Assaulter 5: A14
Goblin Assaulter 6: A19, +1 AC/Ref
Goblin Assaulter 7: J1, +1 AC/Ref
Goblin Assaulter 8: N1, +1 AC/Ref
Goblin Assaulter: Minion, AC 12, Fort 13, Ref 13, Will 12. MBA: +6 vs AC, 5 damage and push 1.

Goblin Shield Bearer 1: A2, concealment
Goblin Shield Bearer 2: B1, concealment
Goblin Shield Bearer 3: A16
Goblin Shield Bearer 4: A18
Goblin Shield Bearer 5: T4
Goblin Shield Bearer 6: T6
Goblin Shield Bearer 7: K1
Goblin Shield Bearer 8: N1
Goblin Shield Bearer: Minion, AC 16, Fort 13, Ref 13, Will 12. MBA: +8 vs AC, 4 damage. Effect: The target is marked by the Shield Bearer. Shield Bearer Aura: All allies gain +1 AC/Ref per shield bearer adjacent to them.

Effect Key: location, damage related, TenT or TsnT, conditional, save ends, encounter[/sblock]

[sblock=Terrain]Walls: Crossing the walls takes an extra square of movement if you are crossing between walls within the city or crossing walls to leave the city. Crossing walls to enter the city takes a DC15 Athletics (Climb) check.

Cover: The walls grant cover against attacks made from outside the city to the inside.

Water: The water is boiling for extra drama. Any creature that enters or starts its turn in the water takes 5 fire damage. The Athletics DC to swim in it is DC 10.

Walls in Water: Creatures can cross the wall segments in the water leading to the Bluffhold by making a DC15 Acrobatics check. Failure means the move action ends and the creature falls into and adjacent water square. Crossing the gap at L16 requires a DC 10 Athletics (Jump) check.

Difficult Terrain: City, forest, and river squares are difficult terrain. For any square, its terrain type is whatever the majority of the square contains. When in doubt, ask for clarification.

Obscurement: Forest squares are light obscurement (grant concealment, 5 squares of them provide total concealment).[/sblock]

[sblock=Special Rules][sblock=Appease the Crowd]
*As a minor action, a PC may make a skill check to wow the crowd. If they succeed at the check, they gain +2 to their next d20 roll if they beat the DC, plus +2 per 5 by which they beat the DC. If the check is failed, the PC takes a -2 penalty to their next d20 roll, -2 more per 5 by which they miss the DC.

I.E, if the DC is 15, 1-5 would be -6, 6-10 would be -4, 11-14 would be -2, 15-19 would be +2, etc.

*All skill DCs will start at 15 and each individual skill's DC goes up by 2 per time the skill is used as the crowd gets more jaded. The DCs go up at the end of the round in which they are used. The DCs do not drop between arena rounds.

*Any skill can be used, as long as the player can provide relevant character action to back up the roll.

Current Skill DCs:
All 15.[/sblock]

[sblock=The Siege]Overrun: If any enemy starts their turn within a district (any of the eight labelled areas with cities) that district is "overrun" for the remainder of the match.

Loss Condition: If six of the eight districts are "overrun", the group loses and everyone dies (To the Death).

Reinforcements: At the end of each of the monster's turns there is a chance reinforcements will arrive. I'll roll a d20 each round vs DC 20. If the roll succeeds, reinforcements have arrived and all PCs gain an AP that must be spent during the next round or it is lost. The reinforcement DC goes down 1 after the roll each round.[/sblock][/sblock]

 

[WEContact]

OOC: Folks with AoE ought to start off clearing some minions, ideally shield-bearers adjacent to Sorcerers. If anyone has any accuracy/damage buffs, I hope to be making a lot of attacks against priority targets next round, if I can.

 

[VanderLegion]

OOC: Sadly my powers are all strictly single-target. The only aoe I have is my alchemist's fire, so I'll probably wait a turn or two and see if some of the minions group up together for me to hit a bunch at once. For now I can just shoot one with my crossbow probably.

 

[Medina]

As the forcefield drops, Corragan mutters "Here goes. Good luck guys".

As the crowd roar at the start of the contest, Corragan glances around and spies the goblins in the trees to the north-west of the town. "Watch out for that group - they're using the cover of the trees," she calls out, "I'll try and put some of them down." Her vision and perception impress the crowd as she points into the trees

OOC: Minor Action: Appease the Crowd - Perception check

At the full stretch of his reach, Corragan asks the trees themselves to aid them in their defense of the town, and they writhe and strike at the goblins, trying to trip and hold them.

OOC: Standard Action: Grasping Tide, Area burst 1 centred on B2 (striking goblins in A1, B1, C1, A2, A3). Any bonus from Appease the Crowd on the attack vs. A1 (the warmonger). +5 vs. Fort, 1d6+5 damage on a hit and if a creature tries to leave the area then I can make a secondary attack, +5 vs. Reflex: Knock the target prone.

OOC: Edit: The attacks (hopefully obviously) should have gone A1, A2, A3, B1 C1, rather than attacking C1 twice.

 

[Medina]

OOC: Just as a note, for this format, minions are priority targets. Because they can still capture an area, the strength of individual goblins isn't such an issue, their numbers are what we need to tackle.

 

[Faraque]

"I've got the ones to the west!"
She quickly scrambles out to meet her chosen enemies.

OOC: Move action - Running, Crosses the wall at H7, ending run at L2. Minor Action - Aegis of Assault on N1 Standard Action - Greenflame Blade at K1, if hit, splash 3 fire to J1 and L1