Round 3 and map
Subject Room 4 round 3
Salix steps to the door just in time to see Mund take down one of the 4 bird-creatures. They don't seem all that tough, he thinks, considering how one is already dead and another already looks badly wounded. Still, it seems almost silly to set up a test against lesser creatures after the other things they'd already faced, so maybe these things were more dangerous than they seemed. At any rate it would be best to end this quickly. He runs through the list of the graces he has asked of Obad-Hai this day, but none seems appropriate to the task immediately at hand.
He draws his scimitar and will move into the room if a space opens up. He will try to get into position to strike at one of the creatures if possible.
From: Josh
Subject Room 4 round 3
Kals last attack rolls into his next one. He dances around the bird, trying to keep a safe distance from it's beak. As he gets on the creatures side, Kal's rapier darts forward looking to strike at the creatures body.
OOC: Kal's taking a 5 foot step to the side to make room for whoever's behind him and then attacks.
From: Kevin
Subject Room 4 round 3
Harp feels his sword connect with the animal with a satisfying chunk, but the beast does not go down. He then feels two of the creatures attack him, but his new suit of plate mail was doing exactly what he hoped it would do. Some of the others, however, were less well protected, and they would be at risk.
"Kal, be careful. These things are not that hard to hit, but they are quicker than they appear." With that, Harp will do one of the following: if B1 is not dead, Harp will take a 5 ft step to the right so he has a flanking bonus (assuming Kal moves 5 ft. more into the room to make space for the others). Harp will then attack B1. If B1 is dead, Harp will take a 5 ft step into the room (to where B1 was) to give a flanking bonus to Mund. Harp will attack B2.
From: Mark
Subject Room 4 round 3
Probably. :)
From: Randy
Subject Room 4 round 3
Ranthir will continue to attack B3 unless it is already dead by the time his turn comes around. If it is dead he will attack the bird closest to him. He will fight defensively, wary of Harp's warning.
From: Ashley
Subject Room 4 round 3
Can Surin close enough to see them/throw something at them? He'll put his axe away and pull out his sling if he's more than 10 feet away, since he's pretty sure there's *something* going on.
From: Mark
Subject Room 4 round 3
It is going to be a tight fit at the moment. There are still at least two people who want to get through the door and four people in the room, starting to surround 3 turkey like creatures. He would be firing into combat for sure and the creatuers would get some cover from the people fighting them.
Don't worry about experience. When the plan is for someone to stay back as a reserve I consider them to be involved and they get full experience, just as the whole party gets experience when Surn does a lock or a trap and they hang back.
From: Ashley
Subject Room 4 round 3
That's cool. Surin will just hold his axe up threateningly and complain that the big people didn't aside for him. After the fight is over, of course. :)
From: Derek
Subject Room 4 round 3
Tight fit or not, all Allistair needs it to be able to see one of the cockatrices, and he can hit it with a MM without having to worry about hitting an ally. If Allistair can see one he'll shoot one off, but he won't try and push himself in front of the warriors trying to get into the room.
From: Mark
Subject room 4 round 3
And that is the advantage of being a magic user. :)
From: Jason
Subject Room 4 round 3
Ragnar will keep looking for an opportunity to get into the room and attack.
From: Porter
Subject Room 4 round 3
Mund hears Harp warn them that these creatures can turn them into stone, and his blood runs cold. That's just not natural. He's so distracted that he actually lets one of them bite him. He almost soils his armor but experience takes over and Mund kills the monster by reflex.
Freaked out by the the unnatural danger, Mund begins his rage and starts fighting defensively, stepping forward to attack the next monster (B3).
OOC: If you'll allow it, I want Mund to respond to Harp's warning this last turn by beginning his rage this last turn (Mund's initiative was well after Harp's)
From: Mark
Subject room 4 round 3
So you want the lower armor classs but the higher FORT save for attacks this round?
It would not have made any difference for your attack last round, since you killed the creature you were fighting.
I have a small peeve with the rage. The idea that you can rage and fight defensivly strikes me as a bit strange. To me the rage should be like the beserk fury that barbarians fly off into. I do not think that there are enough drawbacks to rage.
However I am not going to change this rule, at least not yet. :)
From: Ashley
Subject Room 4 round 3
*cue foreboding music*
From: Mark
Subject Room 4 round 3
Round 3
Initiative : Kal (24), Harp (24), Surin (24), Salix (21), Birds(19), Allistair (18), Mund (16), Ragnar (8), Ranthir (4)
Kal looks around and decides to move so that more of the party can enter the room and overwhelm these creatures. Being turned to stone is not something Kal is looking forward to so the faster these creatures are disposed of the better. Moving north a few steps until he is next to Ranthir Kal stabs at the same bird as last time (AC14,2+10=12, miss) but his rapier fails to pierce the tough skin of the birds side.
Harp also moves, but he moves to his right, keeping the wall to his back. As he moves he sees Kal's rapier skid off the hide of the bird. Why does that elf continue to use that pigsticker? Even when it hits it can barely do any damage? With that he takes a backhanded swing at the same bird and lands a solid blow (AC14, 15+14=29, hit, damage 12). Blood fountains from the wound as a large gash is opened in the things side, but it does not fall.
Surin looks through the crowd of people between him and the fight and quickly turns to watch their back. It would be just like this place to have something try and ambush them while they were fighting already.
Salix looks at the creatures and shakes his head. Cockatrices? He had heard of them, monstrosities created by the magical mixing of birds and lizards. Thinking of the prayers he had asked Obad Hai for that morning, nothing comes to his mind that would be very useful in this situation. Well, gods work was done in more than one way. Drawing his scimitar, he moves into the room and attacks the bird facing Kal. His sword arcs (AC14, 13+5=18, hit, damage 5) and strikes the bird full in the body, opening up another bleeding wound. This time the bird falls, it's red eyes looking at Salix.
The bird just in front of Harp flits around and bites at his leg. Again the bird is faster than Harp would have thought (AC21, 17+9=26,hit, damage 1, FORT Save DC12, 14+9=23, save). Harp feels the beak clamp on the armor and the jaws closing. He feels his armor get cold, even through the padding, but he shakes off the feeling.
The bird attacking Ranthir makes another bite that connects (AC20, 14+9=23, hit, damage 1, FORT save, DC12, 20+6=26, save). The bite seems to do little damage but he feels something strange through his armor and is glad for the fine elven chain that he wears.
Allistair sees the crowd attacking the birds. How do they attack like that and not hurt each other? All that waving steel and dancing around and they still do not interfere with each other? Well, luckily, his education had allowed him to learn ways to damage the foe with no fear of hurting his allies. Chanting the words that can be heard but not remembered, he cast one of the simple spells, magic missile. Almost every first year student learns this basic essential spell. Three bolts of energy leap from his fingers and streak towards the bird fighting his brother (B3) (Damage 13). The bolts strike the bird and almost knock it down. Somehow the thing is able to maintain its feet.
Mund sees three flashes of light streak out of nowhere and strike the bird in front of him, almost knocking it off his feet. Still enraged by his close brush with being turned to stone Mund moves up fights with a bit of caution and swings at the bird (AC14, 9+7=16, hit, damage 12). Mund's axe cleaves the creature in two.
Ragnar charges through the door, surprised to see only one bird still standing (B2). He swings his sword (AC14, 14+7=21, hit, damage 10) and leaves a blood mark on the right wing of the beast.
Ran is glad to have superior numbers again. He takes a step over the dead bird in front of him and strikes at the remaining foe (AC14, 12+8=20, hit, damage 8). He also connects and draws blood from the back of the creature, cutting its leathery tail from its body.
OODM: I need round 4 actions and another map is attached.
