Round 4
The soldier in the boat hastily drops his bow and barely manages to raise his blade in time to parry Lon’s reckless attack, but his footing is too shaky for him to effectively riposte. A nearby soldier
(S8) has noticed what’s going on and moves to intercept with sword raised. His blade bites deeply into Lon’s host’s side. Soldier 3 moves cautiously closer, firing another arrow. It passes harmlessly through the space between Lon and the soldier in the boat.
Andrinor manages to bring the horse under control and leaps into the saddle. Soldier Four, overcoming his initial fear and revulsion, drops his sword and raises his bow instead. His shot strikes home, but cannot pierce Andrinor’s unnaturally thick flesh. Andrinor can see the man’s eyes go wide with terror even as he fumbles for another arrow.
Halden and the soldier continue their furious exchange of blows. In response to the dead monk’s plea to surrender he merely hisses
”I do not fear you, abomination. My soul will join with the Flame if I die.” His words almost, but not quite, cover up the sound of one of his companions
(S1) galloping up to join the fray. Halden’s instincts serve him well though, and he ducks under the mounted warrior’s blade before he is even consciously aware of it.
James Dukar watches in surprise as his first shot flies directly towards the Cardinal’s heart...and stops. A silvery barrier briefly flickers into view and turns the shaft aside. Dukar’s next shot, however, gets through and the Cardinal grunts and moves for cover. As he backs away, he holds up one arm in a futile attempt to shield himself from Tibalt’s bolt of flame, which totally engulfs him.
Dukar quickly has other things to occupy his attention, however. Several of the soldiers
(S11, S9, S15, and S7) have finally obeyed their captain’s order to try and take him down. Two are galloping directly towards his position; a third fires a shot but then bears to the left, in the direction of the still wailing babe; the fourth is on foot and keeping his distance. Although Dukar has good cover, one lucky shot actually finds its mark, grazing his neck
(3 hp damage).
Tibalt can see that the flame seems to go right through the cleric, leaving him totally unharmed.
(When a corporeal creature attacks an incorporeal creature or vice versa, magical attacks (except for force and negative or positive energy effects) have a 50% miss chance – virtual dice were against you. For future attacks, go ahead and roll the miss chance). The Cardinal seems equally surprised, but wastes no time casting a spell of his own. A shimmering silver blade appears in the air next to Tibalt. He can actually feel the air displaced as it cuts in a savage arc a mere inch from his throat. The soldier whose body he so recently inhabited stumbles away in confusion, uncertain where or how to attack the disembodied spirit above him.
Carmilla comes close enough to the soldiers to cast her spell. A cloud of bats congeals about Soldier Six, who drops the reins of the horses he had just managed to catch with a yell of fright and flails wildly at the maddened creatures. The horses bolt in terror. His companion backs away from the swarm, searching in vain for the source of the bizarre manifestation before turning his attention to the much more tangible threat posed by the sniper on the hill.
The Captain responds to the spell instantly, grabbing the horse he has been using as cover and swing easily into the saddle. He draws his sword and wheels his mount around towards Carmilla, shouting
”Show yourself, foul spirit!”
Alton's spell summons a protective shield that darts this way and that. The soldier facing him seems undaunted and he quickly closes with the sorcerer.
"Black magic will not save you!" he screams as he slashes beneath the arcane disc, leaving a jagged slash across Alton’s chest
(7 hp damage).
By the way, the Shield spell has changed somewhat in 3.5. Now it only grants a +4 shield bonus to AC, but it works in all directions. It does still protect against magic missiles.
