The Harbinger of Ferocity

Frokane's Mildly Politcal Hangout Thread

According to everything personal studies have shown me, I am a right leaning centrist, @Dynamo Frokane.

Unfortunately in this day and age, that characterizes me as an "Alt-Right Nazi", "racist", "misogynist", "Islamophobe", and "homophobe" among others, despite my open disdain for any communist or socialist system, belief race, gender, faith, creed, and what-have-you is irrelevant so long as you can meet the criteria of the end state goal, and that the federal, as well as state, government is not an all powerful evil but rather a necessary one for the good order and conduct of society.

Personally, this sounds all very rational to me, but there's been plenty who view this as somehow "extreme".

D&D 5e - Hoard of the Dragon Queen

If you are talking about the river dividing us, that actually is a pretty wonderful advantage assuming we are not outlined in it by the moonlight or having to maneuver through it in combat or with haste; after all, who attacks from water? Least likely route of approach and a false sense of security, because anyone who can maneuver through it can leverage it. From what it sounds like, with the amount of smoke present obscuring ambient star and moonlight, if we went further down west, off the map, crossed the river and came around in a hook and formed an "L", they would need to maneuver either down the road or across the water - the former I can only imagine they would favor.

In that case, the raven can also be our eyes from above to see if there's more marauding bands further down the road before we attempt to strike, that way if they do flee, we already know what the consequences are. If done correctly as a close ambush, with someone like Orchid on the furthest part of the "L" to the east, he should be able to mostly entrap them. However, reasonably, Brannor as a character could get as far as outflanking the enemy, maneuvering through the water out of sight and attacking them from the side and behind. Trying to use tactics beyond that are safely beyond his expertise, but between everyone present I think the notion of an ambush and checking to see what is further down the road is reasonable.

As for it being a trap? It is already clear our paladin is present simply because he would rather not see these people he's fought beside needlessly perish. To hell with the mill and "capturing" a person. Parum and Kyra are the only two convincing him it is of some importance.

D&D 5e - The Lost Lands

A flurry of small black swipes came at the abjurer as he broke from the remaining duo of shadows, leaving the one that managed to strike him exploding into light and its midnight essence fading away and the other almost keeling over from exerting its reach far beyond its grasp. They were not particularly smart foes, but beyond a doubt they were tenacious. They would follow you anywhere and everywhere if it meant scoring just one more blow.

And then came a startling explosion of crystalline ice in the otherwise wind whipped air, most of it clattering to the ground and bursting again into smaller pieces and racing past those present. Each piece, no matter how small, underwent rapid sublimation; the frozen magic shards reduced back to ether in moments and without a trace. As fortune would have it, two of the shadows caught the worst of the blast, while one other seemed to have taken hardly anything worse than a cold bath. In its own strange way, it seemed to shiver, as impossible as it was for a creature devoid of emotion or natural reaction. In either circumstance, despite best efforts to shield herself, the former elf that was Wick had no defense against the icy onslaught and too was bathed in the frosty magic.

Faint blue mist wafting from her armor and shield, it was clear that despite this incident she was still in the fight to come. After all, it would take more than that to see her into the world thereafter again. Not that she was in a hurry to visit it, at least not at this very moment, but it was safe to say it could have turned out worse. Much worse, for rather than continue to mindlessly attack her person, their rime covered bodies slowed for a moment before Haemar's magic dissipated.

Effects

Map
Turyn's Keep

The Shadow that was east of Haemar strikes him on its attack of opportunity for 1 slashing damage, but then explodes into light from hitting his Illuminating Shroud. The other Shadow flails miserably, failing to hit.

The north most and south most Shadows fail their Dexterity saving throws and suffer 3 cold damage. The middle Shadow, that one directly in front of Wick, succeeds and takes only 1 point. Unfortunately, Wick fails her saving throw to the Ice Knife and also loses her Concentration on Hex.

@Big Dread, @Gordian Nought

D&D 5e - Hoard of the Dragon Queen

@Ryonara, @Norschtalen, @Gordian Nought, @Lucius Cypher, it sounds as though we should eliminate the people outside and explore the rest of the mill. Seemingly there's nothing else but them out here, so it is a start. It would work well with capturing one as we mentioned earlier, no less diffusing what seems to be some form of trap; my guess being there's more hiding somewhere nearby waiting for us to go inside and either corner us or trap us and set the building on fire.

Is there anyway to flank them that can be seen, @Hekazu? Mostly so even if they do flee, they have to go around us or turn and head the way we came?

D&D 5e - Hoard of the Dragon Queen

Just how many is this group, @Hekazu? And what is its make-up of in terms of kobolds and humans, as well as weapons? No less, just how many torches do they have? If they're missing as they are and seem to have quite a few, this might not be so wholehearted of them, @Gordian Nought.

D&D 5e - Hoard of the Dragon Queen

The real question then is, is the mill actually on fire? That would make it twice now they aren't burning a building down, the other time being the Temple of Chauntea, and from what I recall, the rest of the town where they only set hay and carts on fire.

I say get an aerial view of it with Torus' raven. If it is on fire as he said, it is a lost cause. If it isn't, then why is it not? That would possibly make it a trap as Parum said, with either the enemy outside it or somewhere on the grounds. If we can find out where, we can ambush them in return.

As for capturing someone, I have to agree a kobold is unlikely to be helpful. If we see one of the humans, we could just attempt to knock them out while we deal with the rest. We still have rope anyway, so we can bind and gag them once that combat is over, and put them in hiding somewhere while we investigate the rest of the area.

D&D 5e - The Lost Lands

Theodore's shot, though quite accurate, struck the titan before them to almost no effect; not a flinch, not a wince, not an expression of emotion other than its prior seething determination, spoken soundlessly through purple eyes of fire. No doubt that the blow did harm it, even a blind man could have seen that in his soul, as bits of black, wispy essence drifted off into the void sky above, but the being did not seem remotely hindered. Instead, it shifted its attention to the aasimar scholar who hurled a spinning disk of light, the same of which crashed into it with a burst of energy and exploded in a glinting aura, only to be followed by a few wild orbs of vibrant cyan that hovered about the place it laid claim to.

One might think the great figure more wounded between all this, but its sole response was to again pan its hand out before them and shudder the air with its mocking below; a voice from the beyond.

More of the darkness that ate away at the edges of this island of Turyn sprung to life, creeping across the ground until they solidified into shape again. Even more shadows joined the fray, another five it would seem, just as they had before. To their fortune however, these added foes began a small ways away - at the base of the stairs and hurdled past the elven wizard and his collection of inky, evil assailants. Flightily moving past the crossbowman as well, moving like a gang of fleeting hares, they set about after Wick and Cesar, leaping at them, but not without challenge.

Theodore's shortsword left its sheath and struck out at one near the tail end of their disorganized trail, his crossbow in the other hand and made a mark. Though the blow was true, the speed of the small beast saved it from being felled.

By very narrow margin, no more than a few hairs it would seem, the giant being then swung wide with one free hand and missed Katia as she sprung up to strike it; her staff connecting with a dull, soundless thud to its unmoving exterior and her claws tearing at solidified nothingness. Its enormity gave such weight with the blow, that had she not have avoided it, it might have leveled her clean into the stonework below. Passing by the monk, the leviathan's fist crashed into the ground and rocked the entirety of the island; bits of stone and dust flew off into the darkness and the retaliation was at hand...

Circling around the wizard, fleet upon their feet and dancing too and fro, the shadows' claws struck blow after blow against him, but the power of the light - the same he invoked from within - protected him time and time again. Each slash they made against him, raking at his ghostly armor, they only exploded into vibrant light and burned away. It wasn't until the last swing made against him that the elf realized they had defeated his magical defense. "Defeat" being a strong word, as the spell had absorbed the worst they could throw at him and burnt them away to nothingness. Magic was a funny thing like that.

The other shadows, those that had for the most part avoided the Templar's wrath for the time being, attacked first Wick; despite her disadvantage against them, she managed to block and fend off her attacks, being scraped by their otherworldly claws only once. The bard meanwhile, brandishing his sword in defense, stepped back and out from the majority of the beasts' strikes. Fortune still favoring him, he too found only a knick upon him that gave an icy chill through his body.

Effects

Map
Turyn's Keep

The Dark Leviathan uses its Titanic Reach ability to make an opportunity attack against Katia, narrowly missing her when she closed in through its threatened area. Because of another of its abilities, it cannot take an action this turn. It still has vulnerability to radiant damage until Wick's next turn.

The northern most Shadow attacking Haemar critically strikes him for 2 points of slashing damage. It then instantly explodes from his Illuminating Shroud spell and is destroyed. The next Shadow misses, while the most southern one strikes Haemar as well for 1 point of slashing; it too is destroyed. The western Shadow also scores a critical hit for 2 slashing damage, but is burned away by the light. Haemar's Illuminating Shroud spell ends and he is hit one last time for 1 point of slashing damage.

The five new Shadows summoned will rush past Theodore, provoking an opportunity attack. These new creatures are in order from north to south, first to last. The ranger made his attack against the fourth one in order, hitting it for 4 piercing damage but not destroying it.

Two of these new Shadows will besiege Wick, gaining advantage against her because she is prone. By sheer chance, only one blow strikes her from the both of them, dealing 1 point of slashing damage. The other three attack Cesar, with only one managing to strike him. Cesar suffers 1 point of slashing damage.

@Big Dread, @Cu Chulainn, @Gordian Nought, @Hekazu, @JBRam2002, @Zverda

D&D 5e - Hoard of the Dragon Queen

"And my name is Kyra, not priestess."

The man retorted, caring not if she heard him and the low way he spoke.

"A name... a title, they matter no differently. Both are tamed things."

It was true, quite true at that, that both in the outsider's experience were the works of people. He had never met a thing of the woods that cared any about what exactly it was called, just as long as the word had respectful meaning to it. This tamed town, with its sheltered soul, had proven it could not stand up to scaled vermin and bandits who had the audacity to think themselves anything more than armed thugs, so it came as no real surprise the way the young woman reacted as she did. It was clear she had never faced a challenge like this, a trial of faith, but something in her fought fiercely beyond the magic she wielded and what her patron seemed to embody.

Perhaps nature's touch, as with that he felt through her divine spell's blessing, had a deeper hold on her than she knew. Brannor could feel that magic's power, after all the very essence of it was born into him in ways he could not explain; other men hadn't these blessings inborn, at least to his awareness. So it was very possible, or so he thought it now, that when pressured Shepard's learning of the faith changed.

"Perhaps in that too you should embrace ferocity." He continued, said as obscurely and oddly as anything else he had prior in hushed tone.

The beast that was this man knew little other than that after all. It was why he was so partial to the half blood, even if the other man was touched in the head by what he could only imagine was the gods' doing. At least he, in his orcish rages, knew that and what it meant, so there was hope at least for a priestess with familiar magic, one that begged to be unleashed and unchained, to discover it too and free herself from the clouding anger in mind; there was a time and place for fury, both those rampant and cold and cunning, and more importantly a way to wield it.

"There will be time after to explain."

And yet... in spite of the ongoing concerns of the halfling and her pleadings, he did not find her argument grating. Rational, reasonable, respectable, it was all these things and more, but what it lacked was courage. It had not the resolve to turn its own fears into weapons. Assuming it was a trap, which even yet might be questionable, they had the time and opportunity to use that against their enemy now. There were no lives in peril, no city to save; the battle was already lost, the darkness won it, but not the war which they waged here and now. So what concern was there to be?

They had the time, the means and the opportunity to stalk their foes and cut them down in scores of bloodied shreds. Let the enemy lie in wait for their own death.

Rolls

Brannor rolls a 14 for a Dexterity (Stealth) check as they remain slinking through the darkness.

@Hekazu@Ryonara@Lucius Cypher@Gordian Nought@Norschtalen

Beginner's DnD 5e Game - Group 2

With how determined two others of their eclectic band seemed to disappear, Arthera's amber eyes narrowed, looking neither upon the gnomish company or the man stationed over him. It was a scowl that telegraphed her emotion upon the matter of them dismissing themselves. This man, this general, was one of the few people in this entire damnable city that had earned a post or station by some deeds; he looked the part, not some pathetic common-blooded ilk like the people outside drunk on some holiday they hadn't even the faintest of. And this was how they would offer any thanks?

Much too short lived, but I suppose there's little else to learn from this.

The woman's mind wandered thereafter for a moment, before her lips again moved and the rest of her remained most idle; cloak and clothes still other than her calm breathing. In truth she was gauging who else would see themselves out before any real comment was given, but to her pleasant surprise, none did. Knowing nothing more in this moment was to be said, or so it seemed, she drew up her weathered hood to mask her head and almost offered the man a smile from under it.

"And some of us appreciate you lending us added insight." The feral eyes blinked thoughtfully, looking then to Cavanaugh, "You have my word that what has been said here I will not share."

The wording was phrased carefully, methodically, as the invoker knew well she had no power over the rest. The only person she might hold any influence over was her elven compatriot, in that they shared a common interest and a common bond, but even then there were no such promises. People, unlike the beasts of the realm or the primordial building blocks that made it up, were often unpredictable; you knew well fire could burn, for better or worse, all that changed was who handled it and just how they did so. Rare was it to find any you could really put faith in, making the information entrusted a bit more personal to her.

She looked down to Ceria, who she towered over, next to the place she had chosen to stand. The other woman was still holding on to her bow and visibly shaken by the seeming lack of dignity displayed earlier in the effort to gain goods.

"Shall we go?" Arthera inquired, gently slipping each of her hands into her loose sleeves and folding them behind her back.

Two people in a fight to the death. One of them has a wooden baseball bat, the other has a six inch knife. Who wins?

@Kratesis, I meant more so the entire topic. It came from a user named "Stekkmen", who surprisingly predates Based Stickman, is about someone fighting people with a bat and one person fighting with a knife. Uniquely, all of these are related to the Based Stickman, who fought people with his namesake and also fought someone who had a knife. All we are missing is the skateboard.