To Con the Con-man

[Axel]

"Woah, boy, whoah. That's far enough" Alden said, encouraging his startled horse to slow down, and stop. My poor butt is never going to feel anything anymore, he thought to himself, as the thundering hooves stopped pounding.

I wonder what Lord High-and-Mighty wanted? He said something as I went past, probably talking about himself again. Alden turned his head, to see what has happening to the demon-cat. I so hope the dogs chase the ugly thing all the way to Rem...

"What did you say Boss? There's four of them? I can only see the one?"

[sblock=OOC]
Phew!! That was more nerve-wracking than a "pass or die" roll... (no way Alden could live an ambush barring an apocalyptic dice failure on HM's part).

Actions:
- Stopping where he is (didn't hear Alex clearly)! I have assumed a listen DC of 10 based on distance, noise of hooves etc.
[/sblock]

 

[HolyMan]

Alden pulls his frighten mount to a halt and looks back to see Wet Nose and the other gnolls running towards him. Alex is almost two hundred feet down the road still.

A low growl from behind him jerks him around in the saddle. He casts about before seeing four more of the odd "cats" lurking in the bushes.

[sblock=Note] LOL, no the success means you just saved your horses life. [/sblock]

[sblock=Combat]

Character      AC  HP  InHand/Condition
Alex           [COLOR=RoyalBlue]16[/COLOR]   8  rapier/[I][COLOR=RoyalBlue]mage armor[/COLOR][/I];[I][COLOR=Lime]mounted[/COLOR][/I]
Alden          14   6  reins/[I][COLOR=Lime]mounted[/COLOR][/I]
gnolls(3)      13  11  spears/none
Wet Nose       ??  ??  b.axe/none
Poo Breath     ??  ??  l.spear/[I][COLOR=Orange]ready[/COLOR][/I]
krensharA      [COLOR=Cyan]19[/COLOR]  11  none/[I][COLOR=Cyan]totalDef[/COLOR][/I]
krenshars(4)   15  11  none/[I][COLOR=Orange]ready[/COLOR][/I]

[/sblock]

[sblock=Actions]
Round 1:
Alex - cast mage armor, guide with knees(auto success), draw rapier
Alden - handle animal (success), delay?
gnolls - run x5
Wet Nose - run x5
Poo Breath - Ready action
krensharA - move, total defense
krenshars - ready[/sblock]

OCC: Top of Round 2

 

[Axel]

Catching sight of more of the creatures Alden is rendered speechless for perhaps the second time in his relatively short life, though not for a lack of trying as his jaw works soundlessly. The realisation of how tenuous and dangerous a position he holds brings that deep feeling of terror and vividity that only mortal peril can bring. Everything seems to happen in slow motion, to the sound-track of a slow heartbeat...

Alden is saved again by his mount, as it smells the creatures threatening from the other direction. Without direction from its rider the horse begins to trot back the way it recently came.

As Alden passes the group of gnolls coming down the road, ostensibly to his rescue, he snaps back to his senses. Thanks mate, nice move. I owe you one, he thinks to himself, patting the horses neck before dismounting behind the gnolls.

[sblock=OOC]
Actions without so many words:
- Move behind gnolls (move action).
- Dismount (move action).
[/sblock]

 

[Zerith]

Alexander pondered Starfinder’s words briefly before deciding on his action. He, mindfull to only move as far as need be, bid his mount to move around, further to the beast’s left and Starfinder’s right and advanced just close enough that he could attempt to overwhelm it’s mind while also making it easier for the Gnoll to flank the thing. From Starfinder’s response he figured the thing was just scary, and simply scary did not bother Alexander in the least.
Meanwhile he rose his free hand and clenched it into a lose fist, as if he was griping some unseen object; the excess of his smoky, viperous mage armor that surrounded him collected briefly in his hand as it whorled around an unseen sphere that was growing in his hand, that was raised beside his head and palm pointed upwards.
The cloth of his gloves was made tight as if he was throttling a throat and then his fingers, hand, and even his arm started to twitch and shake as if from strain as he then tiled his hand downwards and leveled his palm with the monstrosity’s head. The hallow sphere had grown to the point that it had not only forced Alexander’s lose fisted grip open but to the point that even with splayed fingers Alexander’s grasp was losing out to its growing girth.

The mist born from Alexander’s arcane armor was being thrown off the orb and could only maintain its purchase between the sphere and Alexander’s palm; Alexander pivoted, turning his right armor, his sword arm, towards the beast while coiling his left hand that held the sphere. Alexander held briefly as his hand trembled from what it held before pivoting again, losing his grip, and shoving the sphere forwards forcefully and strait into the thing’s very mind; as the sphere left Alexander’s hand the remaining mist that had gathered in the palme of his handspread away to the sides in a shock wave, forming a ring as the colorless sphere bolted forwards

[sblock=OoC] Aren’t Alden and Alexander on Horses at the time of the grid? And since horses are large dos that not make them, in terms of squares occupied, also large? missed it and thus feel silly ^^;
As for actions:
-move: flank around the animal and get within 30’(the range of whelm) of it,
-cast whelm: on mr creepy face.[/sblock]

 

[HolyMan]

The gnolls near Alden see the ghost cats looping forward so they take and throw all their spears at the creatures. The cats prove very quick and dodge the trown attacks with ease. Then the gnolls draw an assortment of weapons and prepare to go toe to toe with the things.

Alex moves his mount carefully around to the far side of the beast. When he is almost behind it he thrusts out an arm his palm facing towards the ghost cat. There is a dull *thump* in the air and he can see the cat's fur flatten as if it was being squashed by some invisible hand. But it does little more.

Poo-Breath moves in quickly and thrusts his longspear at the beasts side. The thrust is high and teh growling beast let's out another one of those high pitched screams and the gnoll is greatly effected by it. He turns to run down the road where everyone else fled to .

Then the cat with it's skin pulled back from it's face turns it's head to eye Alexander and his horse.

[sblock=Combat]

Character      AC  HP  InHand/Condition
Alex           [COLOR=RoyalBlue]16[/COLOR]   8  rapier/[I][COLOR=RoyalBlue]mage armor[/COLOR][/I];[I][COLOR=Lime]mounted[/COLOR][/I]
Alden          14   6  l.bow/mounted
gnolls(3)      13  11  spears/none
Wet Nose       ??  ??  b.axe/none
Poo Breath     ??  ??  l.spear/[COLOR=Cyan][I]charge[/I][/COLOR]
krensharA      15  11  none/none
krenshars(4)   15  11  none/none

[/sblock]

[sblock=Actions]
Round 2:
Alex - cast whelm (DC ??)
Alden - dismount draw weapon
gnolls - throw spear (all miss)
Wet Nose - throw spear (miss)
Poo Breath - charge (miss), save (failed)
krensharA - scare vs Poo Breath
krenshars - double move[/sblock]

OCC: Top of Round 3

 

[Zerith]

Seeing his spell do little more than just flutter the beast’s fur and Starfinder charging it, Alexander decided that if magic could not deal with the thing, steel would.
He dismount, and then would charge the thing the moment it moved; not a prospected he liked, but with Starfinder on one side of it and him on the other, it’s odds of being able to fight them both a once.

He would have liked to have stayed mounted in the fight, but if his horse became rattled by the feline and bucked him off, that would be far worse than being merely on his feet. Further, he did not choose his weapon with beats in mind, it was a dueling sword, it lacked the raw brute to outright slay such a large animal with just an instinctive thrust or swing, and his limited physique was not suited to the challenge either, that said he was not going to simply wait for it to do what it wanted to do: the moment it moved to get inside of Star finders reach, or to charge him, he would in turn charge it and attempt to stable it’s chest before it could adjust… then it screamed again and Starfinder bolted away in fear.

Had the circumstances been less preoccupied Alexander would have much underwhelmed by the Gnoll’s flight, it figured the ghouls would have been more steadfast… however, he was not ready to back down just yet. If he could smite something that could get one of their own to flee in adjunct fear in single combat, then that would give him some amount of respect… but he would have to wonder, just how much they were worth if one animal could cause one of the more well know individuals to outright flee; would they even fight if brought before elves?

But when it glared at Alexander so close and with such intent, he had a, slight, idea of why it startled Starfinder so, still, he had bigger game to hunt, and one animal, however unusual, was not even a mere stepping stone in his path.

[sblock=OoC] his L1 spells have a DC of 15… Why did it have to steal the Nat 20 when he tried to blast it!?!
T_T

Any ways: Dismount, ready action; charge (it moves, Kill it!!! )[/sblock]

 

[HolyMan]

The odd cat paws the ground a few times before leaping towards the young noble. It obviously doesn't want to scare off all the prey and decided that Alex will be it's next meal.

But the young arcane armored warrior was ready for just such an attack.

[sblock=OOC] Take your ready action and remember that it's AC is reduced by two due to it charging. [/sblock]

 

[Zerith]

Alexander attempted to bait the feline’s attack with his free hand free hand while he counter charged, he held it forwards and high; he would raise his hand up and away back to raise the animal’s head above its torso, perhaps even get it to rear up on its hind legs and make itself even more venerable, before thrusting his weapon through its throat and its heart.

[Sblock=OoC] well crap, I refreshed it and it did not show the dice roll so I did it again :/ sorry about the two extra rolls ^^;[/sblock]

 

[HolyMan]

The ghostcat charges forward and Alexander clips it across it's ugly face before it can reach him. It rears back both claws pawing the air, before coming down to scratch at the young nobleman. The claw bounds off the arcane armor that protects him. The creature roars in challenge not ready to give up.

[sblock=Combat]

Character      AC  HP  InHand/Condition
Alex           [COLOR=RoyalBlue]16[/COLOR]   8  rapier/[I][COLOR=RoyalBlue]mage armor[/COLOR][/I]
Alden          14   6  l.bow/mounted
gnolls(3)      13  11  spears/none
Wet Nose       ??  ??  b.axe/none
Poo Breath     ??  ??  l.spear/[COLOR=Cyan][I]scared[/I][/COLOR]
krensharA      15   [COLOR=Orange]7[/COLOR]  none/none
krenshars(4)   15  11  none/none

[/sblock]

[sblock=Actions]
Round 3:
Alex - ready action attack - (hit, dmg: 4)
krensharA - charge Alex - (miss)
[/sblock]

OCC: Top of Round 4

 

[Zerith]

Alexander’s stance was with his free left hand far in front and splayed, as if he was reaching out to grab something, and his body pivoted so that the same side faced the animal. His armed right hand was held higher and bent at the elbow: his rapier was tilted slightly downwards so that the blade tip was positioned between the end of his thumb and index figure. Sensing that the beast had still not fully recovered from his previous attack he attempted an other thrust and attempted to stab its left eye out; he rammed his weapon forwards turned his body so that his right shoulder faced the beast and flung his left arm back as a counter balance.

Missing his mark he took a step back; he did not want to allow it to take the initiative and attack before he could react to its action