3.2 Peasants Taste Good

[harknail]

It's hard to say exactly when the group enters Elkridge. Unlike most settlements where all the homes are centralized, Elkridge consists mostly of scattered cottages.

But as the village of Elkridge looms ahead, you can’t help but notice the lack of festival banners and widespread mirth that usually characterizes this region. Country folk that normally swarm the arrival of friendly adventurers are too busy boarding up their homes to pay you any notice. A rare glance is spared, but little else.

Harknail starts to ask one of the townsfolk how they can help, but before he gets a response a bloodcurdling scream of a young woman echoes from a nearby glen. The peasant that Harknail was talking to yells out, “That’s the farmer’s wife! He ran out of wood to board up his house this morning!” A bestial screech comes next, gripping the villagers with fear and rooting them to the ground. The sound of claws raking through timbered planks is unmistakable, coupled with the excited flapping of leathery wings. The creature is nearby and eager to feed.

Harknail rushes towards the sound. The rest of the group goes as well, but since most are faster than the heavily armored warforged, they're able to get into a better position. The quick ranger is even able to locate some cover. Dart, the only one slower than Harknail, has to struggle to keep up to keep Harknail from slaughtering all the drakes.

As the group reaches the treeline they can see why the town has a problem. These aren't your run of the mill dog sized drakes, these drakes were the size of horses! Winged drakes the size of horses.

Dart, Llewelyn, and Romra recognize these as warwing drakes. These were bred and used as steads by the dragonborn empire at it's height. Since the fall of the empire these drakes are rarely seen.

One warwing drake is tearing up the cottage roof, another is trying to break through a shuttered window, and three more are clawing at a nearby animal shelter.

The drakes are not yet aware of the newcomers, they are quite intent on breaking though to get the tasty morsels inside the shelters. And it's quite obvious that these unfortified structures are near failing.

Map (will be updated to reflect current situation)

SPOILER: Click to show

[tag all]
The group has surprise and can take one standard action. I'll assume that you've drawn weapons as you rushed towards the drakes. Or you can try talking to the drakes if you like (in which case it would be a good idea to ask the others to wait before attacking).

[sageaqua]

Dart sees this as a opportunity to gain a mount so in the future he can keep up without difficulty. If he's successful that's his pay on this job.

" It looks to me as if these noble creatures are hungry." Dark charges the the house and provide some food for the drakes as a distraction for the framers. [dice=20] He's looking for some rope. Dart is running behind Harknail.

"Do any of you have any way to calm these creatures down?" He cast eyebite on the drake attacking the farmers house. And uses the paladin ability to do damage to the drake attacking the farmers house if it does not stop and face him.[dice=20]

Dart draws his dagger in his left hand. He will be doing sub-dual damage to any drakes that attack him. and will stick to spells until he can get close enough to do sub dual damage with his dagger.[rand=17532564909197399678579547908157332914281869307169972702912054956]

[nobu]

(times like this is where i wish i had the nature/history to know there use to be mounts. drake mount would be awesome to have if we could tame them.)

as we approached the buildings the rod fell to my off hand and a focused on the power given to my by My Lady, forging a sword of white light in my hand, Yes very locky / undead type weapon to wield. i keep it down to my side trying to make sure if doesn't point us out like a beacon as we come across the drakes.

"So gents, which of you know Draconic? Cause otherwise im sure the rest of you are fluent in 'imasnack'?"

(the rest of my action will be held until most everyone else goes cause i rolled really poorly earlier for my initiative)

[at]

During the journey here Barbatos had come to wonder if his head injury had been worse than it first seemed, perhaps he was hallucinating the ongoing argument between the gnome and the construct ... against the backdrop of a beer festival too, maybe this was a alcohol induced hallucination. Must have been good stuff.

The mage shook off such thoughts when he heard the screams, they seemed real enough - at least real enough not to take a chance. But he was damned if he was going to run out infront of those things, and he figured the gnome a little too small to sate their hunger.

Not wanting to be caught in the open when the drakes turned around Barbatos dived forwards against the nearest tree when a thought struck him, he may not speak the language of dragons but there was a language all beasts understood...

(moving to hide behind the tree trunk at M11, and using the spell 'Ghost Sound' to create the sound of a sqealing, terrified pig at D15 - as loud as it can go)

[harricklomax]

I am assuming Popol is in the back because of his speed, even though that guy does not look like me. I am also surprised to suddenly realize my Cleric has no freakin' buff spells, so . . .

Popol follows Dart toward Drake 1. He raises his holy symbol and tries to strike Drake 1 with Astral Seal to weaken its defenses and make whatever the gnome is planning easier.
dice=20
says Wisdom +2, which I think would be a 7, vs. Reflex

Edit: Adding results

Alas Popol missed the drake. The drake ignored the attempt outline it.

[harricklomax]

Annnnnnnd I typed my roll wrong, so I'll do it again.

[dice=20][rand=423431249761656144845496357812477777608889081460323185387907077903]

[harknail]

Jul 10, 2011 4:10:34 GMT -5 sageaqua said:

Dart sees this as a opportunity to gain a mount so in the future he can keep up without difficulty. If he's successful that's his pay on this job.

" It looks to me as if these noble creatures are hungry." Dark charges the the house and provide some food for the drakes as a distraction for the framers. He's looking for some rope. Dart is running behind Harknail.

"Do any of you have any way to calm these creatures down?" He cast eyebite on the drake attacking the farmers house. And uses the paladin ability to do damage to the drake attacking the farmers house if it does not stop and face him.

Dart draws his dagger in his left hand. He will be doing sub-dual damage to any drakes that attack him. and will stick to spells until he can get close enough to do sub dual damage with his dagger.

If you are moving, you need to identify which square you are moving to (Dart is currently at P2). Moving is a move action, Dart can move 4 squares or shift (5 foot step) 1 square. He can do this again by using his standard (attack) action. Dart has both food and rope in his backpack. No roll is needed to find these, but retrieving them from his backpack is a minor action for each. Divine Challenge has a range of 5 and takes a minor action to place. It goes away unless you attack the target or end your turn adjacent to the target. Subdual damage works differently in 4th Edition. Instead of keeping track of 2 different kinds of damage, the person who delivers the final blow decides if it's a knockout or killing blow. Either way there is no penalty to hit.

You only get 3 actions (minor, move, standard). Dart can move 4 squares, place a divine challenge, and attack with eyebite. Or he can move 4 squares, place a divine challenge, and charge with his dagger. Or he can pull out some food and move 8 squares to be adjacent to the nearest drake. Let me know which you want to do. If you attack drake #2, include an attack roll.

Edit: Talked to the player on the phone. He's going with the first choice vs. #1

Dart moves up and issues a Divine Challenge on the drake on the roof (#1), then attempts to hit the drake with Eyebite. Dart misses and the drake ignores him.

[harknail]

Jul 10, 2011 6:28:26 GMT -5 at said:

(moving to hide behind the tree trunk at M11, and using the spell 'Ghost Sound' to create the sound of a sqealing, terrified pig at D15 - as loud as it can go)

map updated. Trees are difficult terrain. They provide concealment (not counting square you are in). Watch out for partial squares co raking your targets. Trees also prevent anything from flying directly over you.

[nobu]

See the 2 of the other going into aggressive negations Tol will move forward to J7, a minor action to activate Wrathful Aspect, and standard to use Decree of Khirad. Moving drake #1 2 squares to the right, and 1 down leaving him next to Drake #2.

[dice=20] +6 vs Will

(not sure if taking the drake off the roof will possible knock it prone or not, with how the flavor of the attack is i think they willing move to the new spot.) If it hits then each Drake will perform a basic attack against its allies, and if they miss there target they will take
[dice=6] +6 psychic damage.

if i miss then i ended up walking forward with flames erupting around me looking very intimidating while i give these drakes orders that there not listening to.[rand=52525394328141855902674075125777531922081900660731495830216903964]

[harknail]

Since the drake isn't currently flying, sliding him off the roof would mean he'd fall, unless he made a saving throw (in which case it's prone on the roof). If it was already flying you could slide it vertically. In this case I'll say that it flutters to the ground, avoiding damage, proneness, and the possibility of a save throw to be out of position for the rest of the power.

You missed the attack roll vs. the second Drake: [dice=20] +6 vs Will

Tol used his warlock powers to pull the drake off the roof and down to where others could reach it, then compelled it to attack the other drake. It (#1) took a bite out of the other drake (for 9 points). The drake already on the ground (#2) managed to resist the compulsion, but not without cost (8 points physic damage).

Edit: #1 takes 3 points of damage from Dart's Divine Challenge, it attacked something other than Dart.[rand=36129954131320126607979347463697248312475625425588495697069447488]

[whave88]

Seeing the others fight, Stria draws her rod, but instead of unleashing her fury, she decides to try a different tactic.

Calling out in draconic to the two nearby dragons, while moving to K8

Diplomacy: [dice=20]+6=13

Please stop and tell us what you want. There is no need for such violence if we can help you with your problems. Is it food you need? If so there are better ways than all this destruction. Let me help you. Let me be your translator. If not, you and your brethren may be injured or worse.

Now talking in common once again, Stria addresses the group.

Let us subdue them, not kill them, they may just be hungry! Let us settle this without the need for the death of these creatures.[rand=30792449243615627477017343915870551460522640096146347268911759054]

[(George) 3.5./ ZEM ( 4.0)]

Blastishy: I am casting obedient servant in square M8, as a minor i am trying my breakfast to him. He has a move of 6 so starting at M8 and moving in a diagonal to I 12 double move if he has to. I am not using him to attack but as a distraction and a show that we are offering them food.

[sageaqua]

I'm all for helping the drakes. I'm trying to knock them out. I don't know about anyone else.

[harricklomax]

I was just trying to do what nonlethal actions I could, was planning on holding off on harming them for at least a round. Did Popol miss the drake, or have I simply not fired yet because of distance?

[sageaqua]

next turn warlock curse
eyebite 1d6+1d6 - invisible to target
paladin divine ability in effect +5 damage

so my damage is largely automatic

I don't know how to change the d20 dice = but these are my next 3 rolls.[dice=20] + my modifiers
[dice=20] + my modifers
[dice=20] + my modifers
[rand=0944039125461131323594490415416658502317993436008703141922620125115]

[(George) 3.5./ ZEM ( 4.0)]

how are you going to knock them out, attacking them will just piss them off, if you can do with out harming them or starting a fight then yes i agree with you if not, then let diplomacy try. If it does not work and they attack then aim to knock them out if you can. I personal don't want them dead and need one alive.
O and you add your charisma to the attack so 2d6+4 damage.

[harricklomax]

Don't we have a wizard or someone with utility spells, like sleep or charm or entangle or some crap?

[whave88]

I just want to see first if the drakes are even willing to negotiate before I try anything else

[harricklomax]

I don't think Drake's are even sentient, they have an INT of 3.

[(George) 3.5./ ZEM ( 4.0)]

he has sleep that should work, and should aim at the other three so 3-5.