Ken E: An unexpected delay. Monday April 20th, 2020 7:03:16 PM
The Sea Dragons in general start rounding themselves up. After discussion, its decided that they should probably maintain a watch. (Their poor DM has looked, and cannot find a standard watch order. Please let me know what it is, so I can update the games Wiki page with it.)
Only Rillhas reasons to stay up, and those reasons are dinner and constructs. He finds that so far, the number of constructs has remained about the same. He thinks its "about", because he's never really set about counting them all. Sometimes he's in areas with lots, sometimes a few, and sometimes none.
When Rill asks Heather about dinner, she mentions that until they have magical checks in place, the Dragons are on their own for vittles and chips. The night is going to be a cloudy one, he observes. And the dragon isles are hot. A breeze blows in through an open window. It feels nice.
Heather's report is otherwise not all about Rill's questions. She has a bit more news to report.
"I've got the roster for the participating fighters. There's a lot of entries, so there's a day one and a day two. I've also got the first round matchups, just slightly ahead of the curve."
She then reveals the bracket for round one.
"Terser, you'll be fighting against Grandpa, the old bear folk from Fangs of the Beast. He's been fighting for a very long time, but I don't think he's ever trained at a formal school. He's all instinct."
"Seabreeze, that barbarian from the gauntlet, is up againt the werebear from Last Whisper."
"Your sister Jada got it easy. She's up against the minotaur from Dragonsound."
"Bralin. You drew... Xid.. from Last Whisper. I've learned more about him. He was a plains warlord a long long time ago. He died, violently. Since then, he's been raised a few times for great battles. He's one of the favorites, so be ready."
"Fang, you got Hin, from the Sapphire Seven. He's probably their weakest fighter. You'll be more than okay."
"Then there's Runt and Gort."
She pauses a minute.
"Bokkun vs Khale. That's a bad draw for the Chancers. They have to battle themselves."
"Finally, Tasin and Claw. I imagine Claws got that one easy enough."
With that, Heathers got little else to report, and leaves you to your sleep.
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--Watch order please, and standard watch procedures, so I can update your wiki.--
(Brock) Jozhur AC27 / Touch 18 Flat 19--CMD 30--HP 159/159 --Shadow Companion 79/79hp Monday April 20th, 2020 9:06:02 PM
I had a watch order on my old sheet, but it's very outdated. How about Rill, Terser, Bralin, Jozhur, Tahni, Aex, Fang?
RobC - Tahni Wyrmrider -- AC 22/13/19 -- CMD 20 -- HP 143/154 -- DarkVision d20+31=46 ; Tuesday April 21st, 2020 7:51:51 AM
Tahni tries to keep a straight face as Heather gives the update. Bralin and Terser sure do have some strong competition. She's confident in their abilities but is scared about them getting badly hurt.
She knows Fang well enough to know that Hin is in real big trouble.
Tahni decides to check in with Heather later to find out the plan for round two and whether any of the dragons will be facing each other.
She looks to Bralin, Terser and Fang "I'll cast some protection spells on each of you tomorrow before your rounds. The rules said you can't cast spells inside the arena but since they allow for magical items to be brought in then it should be fine to buff you up."
------------------ Perception: 46
OOC: If we want to go multiple people on the same watch, spread out the darkvision, and also allow 8hrs rest for everyone, then perhaps something like:
(Brock) Jozhur AC27 / Touch 18 Flat 19--CMD 30--HP 159/159 --Shadow Companion 79/79hp Tuesday April 21st, 2020 8:26:57 AM
Jozhur looks forward to just watching this competition. A couple days break will be refreshing.
---------------- Either of those work, guess we have enough to at least double up.
(StevenVdB) Aexana Gnome (S) HP177/177 - AC29/21/24 - CMD 27 and LEAFY (L) - HP89/98 - AC34/27/31 - CMD 20 Tuesday April 21st, 2020 8:47:23 AM "Bokkun vs Khale... now that's an interesting one... I've been privileged to spend an afternoon with the 1% during the gauntlet. Khale's absolutely insufferable. But Bokkun is hired by the 1%... this hardly looks like a fair fight... not that I don't think Bokkun could win from Khale, but more that Bokkun will not dare to go against the ones that pay him! Khale even started to blame you guys during the gauntlet for having inside information!! Them being matched for the martial contest could be pure coincidence but... I doubt it is..."
If Aex breaks her night in two she's got the morning mood... so she prefers the first roster. Leafy never sleeps so he doesn't care when to stand guard. But he always preferred the stand in the morning dew. The sweet taste of it usually brightens his day.
(StevenVdB) Aexana Gnome (S) HP177/177 - AC29/21/24 - CMD 27 and LEAFY (L) - HP89/98 - AC34/27/31 - CMD 20 d20+23=32 ; d20+8=25 ; Tuesday April 21st, 2020 8:49:57 AM
Additional post with some perception checks for the watch:
Fang (Mitch) HP: 228/228(236 rage) AC: 30/21/24 (-2 while raging, +1 while hasted) DR 1 CMD: 25Spell List Tuesday April 21st, 2020 9:47:29 AM
Fang reminds everyone that they agreed to a watch order at the start of the invitational and she sees no reason to change it. The order was:
Terser and Leafy Tahni and Aexana and Leafy Bralin and Jozhur and Leafy Rill and Fang and Leafy
Presumably Leafy needs no sleep, and also presumably they could just keep this watch order now into the future instead of re-deciding it every time they're in a n new location. She looks over the brackets, trying to determine when/if she'll end up fighting Claw and how many matches it might take for that to happen. Same thing with the other Dragons for that matter - if they all end up fighting each other 2 or 3 matches down the line that would greatly lower their odds.
Terser (Warren) [AC22/13/19 - CMD 30 - HP 255/255, DR 4/-, Regen 1, Mind Blank] (SR21, 25% no crit, rage 38/43, channel 7/7) Tuesday April 21st, 2020 10:47:42 AM I'd call us pretty lucky not to have a fight against each other in round 1. It's just going to get more likely each round. [b] The way Terser sees it, he's actually got one of the hardest matches. You don't get to be an old adventurer if you don't know how to survive, and Grandpa surely has some tricks up his sleeve. This is likely to be a war of attrition, and hopefully Gramps will run out of steam first.
He was excited to get to bed, but when Fang reminds him he has first watch he drags himself up. Good thing he was able to refresh himself. [b]Come on, Leafy old pal. Maybe he'll ask Aexana for a speak with plants potion one of these nights. He's sure that Leafy knows a heck of a lot more about him than the other way around.
Bralin - MikeK - (AC40 T16 F35, CMD 42 HP 251/251) Tuesday April 21st, 2020 12:47:26 PM
Bralin's brow furrows as Heather names Xid as his opponent. "An interesting coincidence, as he sought me out in the Arena today."
Tahni's intent to cast magical protections gives him pause as well.
The dwarf turns to Heather. "As with the Gauntlet, I expect some magical dampening will be used to enforce the rules. Could you assist us with knowledge on if only spellcasting inside the arena is disallowed? T'would be a great benefit to understand what my opponent may attempt."
He holds up his axe and with a word, the weapon takes on a frosty shimmer.
"Are pre-cast spells allowed? What of weapon effects such as frost, flame, and the like? What of supernatural abilities that require no casting? And how are these rules enforced?"
Rill (MarkB) HP 152/152 - AC 28/20/26 d100=48 ; Tuesday April 21st, 2020 2:10:43 PM "Aye Heather, knowing such rules would be helpful. I intend to cast Heroes' Feast in the morning, and perhaps some other spells as well. It would be good to know if they'll stick.
"As for a watch, I'm fine with Jozuhr's thoughts on this. Why don't I create a Mages Magnificant Mansion as well? That will give us dinner and able staff to launder and repair our clothes and such."
Unless there are objections, Rill will cast two spells:
- Divination - I ask What threats will the Sea Dragons face tomorrow beyond those in the arena. Rolled a 48 - success! - Mages Magnificant Mansion using a Miracle spell.
------------------------------------------ Mage’s Magnificent Mansion - You conjure up an extra-dimensional dwelling that has a single entrance on the plane from which the spell was cast. The entry point looks like a faint shimmering in the air that is 4 feet wide and 8 feet high. Only those you designate may enter the mansion, and the portal is shut and made invisible behind you when you enter. You may open it again from your own side at will. Once observers have passed beyond the entrance, they are in a magnificent foyer with numerous chambers beyond. The atmosphere is clean, fresh, and warm.
The place is furnished and contains sufficient foodstuffs to serve a nine-course banquet to a dozen people per caster level. A staff of near-transparent servants, liveried and obedient, wait upon all who enter. The servants function as unseen servant spells except that they are visible and can go anywhere in the mansion.
Since the place can be entered only through its special portal, outside conditions do not affect the mansion, nor do conditions inside it pass to the plane beyond.
(Brock) Jozhur AC27 / Touch 18 Flat 19--CMD 30--HP 159/159 --Shadow Companion 79/79hp Tuesday April 21st, 2020 4:29:43 PM
Let's go with Fang's watch schedule. No need to change that.
Ken E: An unexpected delay. Tuesday April 21st, 2020 7:37:25 PM
A watch order is established, and everyone knows when they are getting their winks, thanks to a watch schedule that Fang remembered.
Some questions are asked of Heather, and she gives answers to each.
"Yea, its going to be a lot like the Gauntlet. No active spells when you enter, but a regular old dispel magic will work this time. The magic items made it troublesome. Some of you guys carry around artifact level gear. We didn't want to risk it being turned on." She thinks for a bit, then adds. "I suppose its entirely possible someone could try to cheat by using a magic aura suppression, but I wouldn't recommend trying it. The same woman that turned our offending wizard into a rat is overseeing the entrants all personally, and only one at a time. You'd need to be VERY clever to sneak magic past her AND the fans watching the fights."
She points at Bralins weapons.
"Stuff like that is personally fine. They just want this to be about the melee. So for example, boots that enhance your skills or your abilities are okay. Boots that cast a teleport spell are not. No items that reproduce the effects of a spell, and no using abilities that do the same. Something like raging is fine, something like using a domain power is not. Also keep in mind, naturally occurring substances like poison have no explicit rule against them." (And your DM will let you know if an action breaks the rules before he posts, so you can either revise it or try and find a way to get away with it.)
She considers his next question.
"They are enforced by disqualification from the match if caught. That's about it. There will be some judges watching with sensory augmentation spells who will stop the fight if something goes off the rails. Finally, remember, you can't die in the ring, but things will still hurt you. If you didn't feel pain, the throngs wouldn't want to watch. Speaking of such, we've got almost twenty thousand people here in attendance. That's expected to rise leading up to the end. You've drawn quite the crowd."
With the questions answered, (ask me anything left unsaid in an email), Heather leaves, Rill casts spells, and Terser talks to a plant.
Rills divination, goes off without a hitch. He asks, "What threats will the Sea Dragons face tomorrow beyond those in the arena?"
His answer, "Kidnapping. Distrust. Theft, though this time avarice was defeated by magnificence."
---------------------------------------
With the mansion spell in place, even IF something had happened during the night, they party wouldn't know it. When they awaken, and presumably step out of the mansion, they find a panicked Heather in the flesh, pacing back and forth within their quarters. As soon as she can get a hand on Rill, it's there.
"Where were you!?", she demands. "I came to make sure everyone was ready and all of a sudden, I HAVE NO DRAGONS." She fuming, but somewhere behind her, a servant snickers as he sets out a breakfast spread, this time attended by a little trio of wizards casting spells to detect magic, poison, auras, hidden auras, and auras that are real, but not what they seem. Everything appears okay, because the youngest one gets a dirty look when he pilfers a piece of bacon.
She places eyes on the three fighters, and visibly relaxes a little.
"Are you three ready to go? Any last questions? They are going to "reveal" the arena in about half an hour, whatever that means. Even I'm in the dark on this one."
Fang (Mitch) HP: 228/228(236 rage) AC: 30/21/24 (-2 while raging, +1 while hasted) DR 1 CMD: 25Spell List Tuesday April 21st, 2020 8:21:09 PM
Fang, who was sitting right there, wonders how Heather could have missed her. Heck she even waved at the woman. "Calm down, I was right here the whole time on watch. The rest were in a magic hidey hole sleeping, with all the absurdity going on here it's best not to take chances."
Speaking of taking chances, she takes the precaution of removing her boots of hast and other magical items she might instinctively reach for and disqualify herself. She's almost certainly going to click her heels together for her haste boots for one and it would be super embarrassing to get disqualified for that.
(StevenVdB) Aexana Gnome (S) HP177/177 - AC29/21/24 - CMD 27 and LEAFY (L) - HP89/98 - AC34/27/31 - CMD 20 Wednesday April 22nd, 2020 10:46:53 AM
The night passes quite uneventful. Aex did her guard duty and Leafy's been up all night entertaining the ones he's up with every watch. Sadly Aex had no speak with plants potion nor spell prepped so an actual conversation is difficult.
When morning comes Aex is a bit startled with Heather's reaction but it soon turns out to be nothing. The little greenmage is smiles a bit at Heather's tantrum.
"Combinations of Misdirection and Non-Detection could possibly mislead the guards. Let's assume some others might consider tricks like that. Would we be able to check out the opponents our fighters are up against before they all enter? Not that I question the integrity of the guards of course but... "
Bralin - MikeK - (AC40 T16 F35, CMD 42 HP 251/251) Wednesday April 22nd, 2020 12:20:20 PM
Bralin nods at Heather's answers, and then spends the night and an uneventful shift in Rill's Mansion.
In the morning, he greets Heather and the servers with a nod, and settles down for a hearty breakfast.
"Reveal the arena?" he repeats Heather's statement, between bites of bacon and rolls. "They will add terrain, possibly traps, or monsters. All for spectacle."
The dwarf's thoughts then turn to Rill's divinations. "Kidnapping and theft are mostly likely among the audience, rather than the participants. Mayhap you should remain together during our combats."
Stuffing in another mouthful of ham, he nods at Heather's question about his readiness.
(Brock) Jozhur AC27 / Touch 18 Flat 19--CMD 30--HP 159/159 --Shadow Companion 79/79hp Wednesday April 22nd, 2020 4:37:14 PM
"As nice as that was, maybe we best not rest in your magical mansion, just in case something happens and we are needed."
Jozhur nods to Bralin. "Indeed, I'd hate to get stolen."
Terser (Warren) [AC22/13/19 - CMD 30 - HP 255/255, DR 4/-, Regen 1, Mind Blank] (SR21, 25% no crit, rage 38/43, channel 7/7) Wednesday April 22nd, 2020 5:19:31 PM
Hmmn - domain powers off the table, but rage (and rage powers?) seem to be ok. Also, since one of his biggest advantages is the rage and he probably has two fights to get through today, he better hold a little back in fight 1.
He digs into breakfast with gusto, but makes sure to stop himself when he's only 3/4 full. He doesn't need anything extra weighing him down.
Rill (MarkB) HP 152/152 - AC 28/20/26 Wednesday April 22nd, 2020 6:45:12 PM
It's not surprising that Heather may have overlooked Fang. One small, furry guardian standing watch might be overlooked amidst a bunch of cushions and chairs. Especially when there's a big living bush there to distract Heather's attention. No wonder she thought we were all gone.
Once Fang alerts the rest of us to Heather's concerns, Rill will come out as well.
"My apologies Heather. I should have alerted you to where we were. So, only 30 min until the next event? Please give us a bit more warning tomorrow. We better get going."
Just to make sure, Rill will cast Detect Poison to make doubly sure the breakfast foods are safe. He will grab some fruit and put some biscuits and bacon in his pocket as we prepare to go.
RobC - Tahni Wyrmrider -- AC 22/13/19 -- CMD 20 -- HP 143/154 -- DarkVision Wednesday April 22nd, 2020 7:11:17 PM
Tahni asks a clarifying question to Heather "How much time rest in between fights will the competitors have? Will all rounds be completed today or will they be spread out over a few days?"
She wonders how literal the divination was. Was it that the Dragons would see others threatened with kidnapping, or, was it a Dragon themselves that would be be threatened with kidnapping? Either way, best to be prepared. Tahni feels much better having her daily spell buffs up.
Ken E: The First Round, Arena Map Wednesday April 22nd, 2020 8:27:44 PM Fang deboots. Heather takes a quick look at Fangs feet, and comments offhand about the cute pink on her toe-claws. Aexana is amused by Heather. Sheepishly, she rubs the back of her head.
Sorry., she says. "You guys are all the most capable ones here, but there's so many attempts at foulplay since you arrived, I figured I would make sure you had at least ONE DAY where nothing went wrong. I didn't mean to blow my top. She smooths Rills collar.
Bralin points out the fighters in the arena aren't likely to go missing. He suggests everyone else stick together. Heather raises an eyebrow at this, but says nothing. Jozhur points out that they should probably have someone on scene, like Fang totally was.
Terser, like the true, dwarfy dwarf he is, spends breakfast contemplating fighting. He has something of a plan. Don't get too full, and don't get too mad too fast. While they eat, Tahni asks about rests.
"Theres a good twenty minutes or so between each round. There will be all of round one today, as well as round two. Round three and four are the final rounds, and they come tomorrow., she answers. When Rill apologizes to her, she waves it away. ""I'm here for you lot. Not the other way around.
When Rill casts his own detect poison, one of the trio of spellcasters frowns. Rills spell finds nothing wrong with it, and he's confident there's no issues.
As the dragons are escorted towards the arena.. they can hear the voice of Kozy Tickwicket getting louder, feeding off the roaring applause of the crowd. None of the matches have started, but he seems to be setting the mood.
"You don't have to be the sharpest knife in the drawer to see that this is gonna spice things up!", he croons. People go wild. "I know you all want me to hurry up and get to the point, but be patient folks, the fights are about to start!", he shouts.
The Lionfishers can't be certain, but those sound an awfully lot like puns.
----------------------------------
They are led around towards the same waiting area they went to for the gauntlet. Heather points out you can all come along until the events start, for moral support. Licnana, the same dark elf who seemed to be in charge of the former disenchants, is standing there, eyes aglow with detection spells.
People trickle in, some with their teams, some alone. Finally, Hin arrives, grinning sheepishly. His hair is a mess, and he looks like he just woke up. "My bad.", he offers.
With a frown, Licnana begins.
"One more time, you can use your magical gear that provides constant bonuses and enhancements, but you can't use anything that duplicates a spell or requires activation. No boots of flying, no boots of haste, no rings of telekinesis, none of that." She looks around for any questions. Finding none, she continues. "Those of you who can cast spells or have any sort of supernatural powers or spell like abilities, don't use them. Extraordinary abilities are fine, but not if it duplicates a spell."
Finally, she ends the meeting.
"Good luck everyone, fighters to the waiting halls, spectators to the stands. Last chance for any questions."
--------------------
The fight order is revealed. There are eight first round matches, and they happen in the order that Heather revealed the night before.
That puts Terser on deck, and then two matches later, Bralin gets a swing. Fang fights immediately after.
------------------
After putting a pat on Tersers shoulder, Heather gestures down a long corridor leading to the arena floor. "Nervous?, she asks. "There's going to be a red circle for you to stand in. That's where you will start the match from.
There's a heavy thumping behind the two. Grandpa starts to gather himself up, speaking to his teams liason. He nods his head. "Blue circle. Got it." His eyes meet Tersers, and he shrugs. "Bad karma for me, a Dragon right off the mark. Time to see what heroes are made of." He offers a salute to Terser, then ambles down the hall.
-----------------------
The fights enter the arena to a roaring applause. Chants of Dragon! and Beastman!, ring out. Tersers spot on the floor is clearly marked. The two warriors split up, and take their positions.
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"Five minutes!", shouts Kozy."One last chance to place those bets!"
Odds for this round: 4 to 1, in favor of Terser. (Meaning, if you bet 400 gold and win, you get back your 400, plus 100 additional gold in winnings.)
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Terser: Please roll initiative. Please make a perception check. If you have at least one rank in Knowledge Geography, please make a Knowledge Geology Check, DC 15. If you do not have at least one rank in Know Geography, please roll a pure intelligence check, DC 20.
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