Thirst for power (Finished) (Knight Otu judging)

[Someone]

I´ll post later today. Still no input for Azaroth´s actions; he´ll move to the bottom of the stairs wile drawing the scimitar (his attack bonus <edit: I mean the attack bonus with the scimitar listed in his char sheet> is too low, by the way) and cast Mage armor on himself. If any of you knows his style of play better, please por so; I don´t know if he´d prefer to stay safer and cast Magic Missile.

 

[Someone]

“The windows?” Says one man. “But my wife is pregnant!”. Beamer has little time to discuss that, as he moves towards the stairs. There, he spots Draig fighting with two masked men, most likely the ones that set the place on fire, and he´s already wounded one of them while the rest of the arsonists and Azaroth run to join the fray. He readies to shoot, but accidentally hits the trigger and the bolt sinks in the ceiling.

[ooc: Draig hits one of the arsonist dealing 8 points of damage, while they miss. Azaroth moves down the stairs and cast Mage Armor on himself; Beamer appears on top of the stairs, and shoots at the wounded thug, but rolls a 2 and obviously fails. Banion still has to spend 5 rounds wearing his armor.

Notice that Beamer is on top of the stairs, so he´s not threatened by any enemy]

 

[wmasters]

Swinging his Urgosh with all his might, Draig shouts back to Beamer"Get everyone out!"

 

[Someone]

The fire rises like a hungry beast, devouring the tables and chairs, and spreading to the walks and decoration. It´s starting to get hot there, without adding the pitched battle among the flames. Draig proves his worth, this time siking the urgosh´s blade in the side of one of the arsonists, while Azaroth, taking advantage of the distraction Beamer provides with his crossbow, also manages to slide his scimitar through the thugh´s side, slashing a light wound. His opponent counterattacks in rage, but the warrior mage parries in time and only suffers a mere scratch.

[ooc: Sixth round of dressing for Banion. Draig makes another great attack and hits, dropping the thug. Azaroth´s scimitar and Beamer´s bolt also wound other one, but again he doesn´t drop so easily. The arsonists counter attack, one of them grazing Azaroth (4 damage), the other ones failing to penetrate Draig´s Mage armor.

The fire continues spreading]

 

[wmasters]

"Get out!" Draig gutterally shouts at the arsonists, desperate to find an escape from the flames for both himself, and the other patrons of the inn. Turning to face the arsonist confronting Azaroth, he swings his Urgosh hoping to at least secure the safety of his injured companion.

 

[Patlin]

This preparing before the battle thing would have worked better if everyone had done it... Banion thinks wryly as he struggles into his armor. I wonder if this is directed at us, or just at the innkeeper due to his guild woes.

 

[Someone]

Banion frantically fasten belts and secures the last parts of his armor, seeing how smoke starts to filter through the wooden planks in the floor and panic brews among the inn guests. Around the stairs, the fight becomes (even more) chaotic, as Draig ruches to help Azaroth with so bad luck that he stumbles upon him, making them lose several seconds while they get up. The arsonists, however, aren´t good fighters enough to take advantage of that, specially when the one that was about to sink his knife through Azaroth´s heart is hit in the throat by of one of Beamer´s crossbow bolts and fall to the floor, twitching and gasping for breath.

One of the last thugs, seeing that the way for the fight is not cut by the fire, goes for the door. As he reaches it, he lets out a yell of pain, as apparently someone who was watching there attacked him.

[ooc: Banion dressing woes finish in three more rounds. Meanwhile Draig and Azaroth roll ones attacking, partially made up by Beamer´s bolt, accurate enough to drop the wounded thug. The two arsonist fighting Draig aren´t much luckier, and also fail.

As you see in the map, the fire continues spreading]

 

[wmasters]

Sweat dripping from his brow both from the heat of the fire and the exertion, Draig steps to the remaining arsonists, swinging his Urgosh and hoping to chase them out of the inn as well, to clear a safe path out.

 

[SlagMortar]

Seeing the extent to which the flames have spread, Beamer fires a magic missle at the nearest wounded arsonist and then yells back down the hallway, "Everyone either get out the windows or get down here now!" There isn't time to hold all their hands. They better be smart enough to get out on their own. If there is a first floor window handy, he will yell at Azaroth to break it out. If not, he begins moving toward the south exit, avoiding the fire as much as possible.

OOC: Spells remaining: 5 0th level, 4 1st level.

 

[Someone]

Making up for his recent fumble, Draig jumps upon the nearest arsonist and cleaves his head in twain with a powerful urgosh blow, and nearly cuts the last remaining thug as he turns to flee, frightened by the dwarf´s display of power.

Meanwhile two greenish darts unerringly fly from Beamer´s hand and pierce the last thug´s heart. The man that was fighting him turns to the halfling, and even through the smoke and trembling air you can see how he greets you and disappears in the alley, out of sight. Meanwhile, Banion puts on the last pieces of armor, while the guests panic even more (if that´s possible), and run back and forth without knowing what to do and shouting that there´s fighting in the ground floor.

Since the fire now blocks Azaroth´s path, he sheathes his scimitar and picks a chair, ready to smash the nearest window with it.

[ooc: Draig scores a critical hit, killing one arsonist in the spot, and Beamer kills the one that was near the door. Azaroth spends the round preparing to break a window. Banion only has two rounds left of armor-dressing.

The last thugh tries to flee and is wounded by draig´s AoO.

There´s no need for more maps. There´s only one enemy left, not far from the “south” door]

 

[wmasters]

Not worrying about the fleeing thug, Draig now looks around for an exit to the inn. If a path presents itself, he makes a run for the door, hoping that the other patrons of the inn have found their escape. Otherwise he will look to a window for an escape from the inferno

 

[SlagMortar]

Beamer also leaves the fleeing thug alone, hoping their mystery helper will finish him off. While waiting for Azaroth to knock out a window, Beamer runs part way back up the stairs and says, "There is no more fighting. If you are able, climb out a window. If you can't, come down the stairs and we will help you out the window. Don't worry, no one is going to hurt you." He goes back down stairs without waiting to see the effects of his words and pulls himself through the window that Azaroth smashed. Once Beamer, Draig, and Azaroth are outside, Beamer asks Draig, "Could you run around to the front and grab the thug I knocked out with my spell? Don't do it if it is too dangerous and meet us back over here." Turning to Azaroth, he says, "Let's help anyone here as long as we can." If any able bodied people are around to help, Beamer will ask them to help people out of the window. Once the heat grows too great to stay close, Beamer retreats to a safe distance and keeps an eye out for more attackers.

 

[Patlin]

Finally in his armor and with his equipment in tow, Banion will make his next priority getting out of the burning building. Aproaching the window [if there is one] he will look outside to see if he can spot anyone either fleeing the area or else observing it. He will open the window and climb out, or if it doesn't open smash it to bits with his mindblade and climb out. Once he's lowered himself so that he's as close to the ground as possible (presumably within 20') he will jump, trusting his skill to keep him unharmed.

Jumping Down
If you intentionally jump from a height, you take less damage than you would if you just fell. The DC to jump down from a height is 15. You do not have to get a running start to jump down, so the DC is not doubled if you do not get a running start.

If you succeed on the check, you take falling damage as if you had dropped 10 fewer feet than you actually did.

Action
None. A Jump check is included in your movement, so it is part of a move action. If you run out of movement mid-jump, your next action (either on this turn or, if necessary, on your next turn) must be a move action to complete the jump.

Special
Effects that increase your movement also increase your jumping distance, since your check is modified by your speed.

I don't think "jumping down" has anything to do with "jumping distance" so I will assume for the moment that the speed penalty does not apply.

Also, I'm assuming Banion can't take 10. If he is allowed to take 10, he does so, automatically making both checks. Otherwise:

Spot: +6
Jump: +10 1d20+10=17 (success)
Tumble: +12 Failure (Oops! Only needed to roll a 3, darn it...)

Banion will therefore take 1d6 nonlethal damage under the falling rules.

Banion's goal is to get into hiding and observe the following events. If he can follow one of the arsonists he will, but if those parties get away he will wait in hiding to see what happens next. He's assuming that the guards will show up *very* soon, since they were probably in on the arson, and will probably manage to bust things up even more once they get here, or to interfere in some way with efforts to put out the fire.

If a fire brigaid forms, Banion will leave hiding and join it.

 

[Someone]

Beamer starts organizing the other guests, while azaroth and Draig look for a way to leave the building. And quick they need to be, since the fire has lighted the remaining oil poured by the arsonists and now the entire lower floor rages with flames. Smoke gathers and attack your throats, and heat starts to build, evaporating your sweat as soon it leaves your skin; and now, the supports and beams start to weaken.

Azaroth wastes no time smashing the window with the chair: the sudden current makes heat lash at you like an angry beast. But an exit is made, and the mage and dwarf help people descend the stairs and go through it after Beamer, who´s surprised when Banion falls not far from him. He´s holding his knee, as apparently he´s hurt himself.

[ooc: by the raw speed penalties to jump apply to all checks, so I guess you failed both checks and suffered damage. But it´s only 1 point, since the fall is just slightly more than 10 feet. Both halflings are outside the building, while Draig, Azaroth and several guetsts remain inside. They´ll start to suffer heat and smoke dangers, not to mention the oher hazards of a burning building.]

 

[wmasters]

"Through here," shouts Draig, trying to rush Azaroth and the other guests through the broken window. When everyone he can help is out, he clambers out himself, coughing from the smoke as he staggers away from the window.

 

[Patlin]

ooc: I'll be travelling over the next couple of weeks, and may have trouble getting internet access. I'll check in when I can!

 

[Someone]

As the fire becomes hotter, Azaroth goes though the window. While he and the halflings watch, Draig gides the inn to the improptu exit. Several times he has to force them, since the smoke is becoming so thick that several guests can´t do anything but cough.

The dwarf has help from the inkeeper. The big man comes round the corner, and directs to you a silent lok of gratitude before entering the inn himself through the window to help Draig. In less than a minute, the inn is empty, and the owner starts organizing the neighbours; buckets of water soon start flying from hand to hand.

"I saw what you were doing through a window" says the inkeeper as soon he can spare a second. "And I thank you. Without you, the other guests would have died. somewhere else you´d want to wait here until the guard comes, but not in Gotian. It´s clear to me these arsonists were sent by the guild master" the inkeeper spits on the ground in disgust "And killing them is a good way to make him your enemy. If you want, you can spend the rest of the night at my sister´s home: it´s not far from here, and it´s a good place to hide."

ooc: Since Draig didn´t check on the fallen thugh near the door, by the time you remeber him, he´s dead; he was almost unconscious, and the magic missile roll was good.

Draig suffers 3 points of fire damage in the inn; Azaroth 2 more.

XP awards:

Draig: 650
Azaroth, Beamer: 600
Banion: 300

 

[SlagMortar]

"Unfortunately the one got away or no one would have known we were involved in the fighting. Oh well, thank you for your offer good sir, I think we will take you up on it. You think the guards are in league with the arsonists? Do you have any proof of that? Will you be safe now? I imagine it is only a matter of time before more thugs are sent." So much for working our way in through the inside.

OOC: Was the innkeeper the one who attack the fleeing arsonist? If not, Beamer asks the innkeeper if he knows who it was.

 

[Someone]

"The guard..." says the innkeeper. "It´s just that everyone knows. Maybe those weren´t guards, but members of one of the council member´s private soldiers. You know how it goes. And proof, what use would it be? Don´t worry about me, I´m sure they think I´ve got my lesson."

"No, I don´t know who he was" says the innkeeper, answering Beamer´s question about the mysterious man. "But that was a strange thing to do: enter the combat and then flee just like that"

 

[Patlin]

ooc: Ouch. Admittedly, preparing before going into battle works better if the whole party does it, but is it really necessary to cut Banion's xp award in half? While he avoided direct confrontation, the lower profile he hopefully maintained by staying hidden could be usefull in an investigation based adventure. He may only have taken a single point of nonlethal damage, and his observations from outside the inn may not have amounted to much, but he still participated in the encounter.

I will of course accept any ruling you make as DM, but it seemed to be worth asking.