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Oct. 22nd, 2003 11:51 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ralphmeltonQuite a D&D session--one of the most complex combats I've run. I hope to talk about it in detail tomorrow.
As usual for combats that I want to be hardcore, it wasn't as lethal as I'd hoped. But this is probably the level I wanted--the players did feel challenged, and I'd deliberately set the fight up with some cushion.
And Lori was very happy with the way it worked out, which is very good to hear.
If one of the players managed to find the time to provide a description of the general flow of the combat, that would be lovely.
As usual for combats that I want to be hardcore, it wasn't as lethal as I'd hoped. But this is probably the level I wanted--the players did feel challenged, and I'd deliberately set the fight up with some cushion.
And Lori was very happy with the way it worked out, which is very good to hear.
If one of the players managed to find the time to provide a description of the general flow of the combat, that would be lovely.
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Date: 2003-10-23 08:20 am (UTC)Here's a summary from memory. (I didn't take a lot of notes anyway, so my current geographical displacement from them should not be much of a hinderance.)
Goal: retrieve a party consisting of Viggo (archer-ranger; Liandra's boyfriend), Tobin (rat-kin cleric; friend of party and especially Larissa), Olven (wizard), and spiked-chain-guy (tough fighter). Sorry, spiked-chain-guy loses today's name-recall lottery.
Setup: We are exploring the palace, following signs left by Viggo. As we come through a door into a dark corridor (light sources: Turok's flaming sword and Larissa's eternal torch), an arrow slams into Turok and we hear Viggo say "Liandra, run! I can't stop myself!"
Surprise round: only Larissa (from our side) gets to act. She pulls the dagger from her belt, casts Light on it, and hands it to Kyle for throwing.
Very brief discussion: retreat? No resolution.
Olver throws a fireball at us, nearly killing Tasha (Kyle's dog). Larissa fills up the corridor with a web while Kyle heals Tasha. Prolix builds a wall of force at our end of the web.
We notice a convenient room off the corridor and duck in, sending Hrolf (Larissa's familiar) and Tasha through the door we used to enter the corridor, where we think the environment is less crispness-inducing.
Discussion (we have several minutes before the wall comes down). General plan: Prolix will cast Invisibility 10' Radius on us and build a programmed illusion of Turok and Liandra advancing down the corridor. Fake-Turok ignores damage and keeps charging; Fake-Liandra bleeds profusely when hit (we hope this plays the sympathy card on Viggo). We will follow at a greater-than-fireball distance.
Other preparations: several castings of Shield, Barkskin on Kyle, See Invisible on Prolix, and a potion of shield of faith for Larissa (which will turn out to be utterly irrelevant, but this is still the first time Larissa has seen a forward-facing AC greater than 23). Oh, did I mention that Larissa is currently a gargoyle?
We peek out. Web has been burned away. Wall comes down; illusion goes through and we step out. As they pass one of the statues (oh yeah, the corridor is lined with statues), spiked-chain-guy steps out from cover and attacks Fake-Turok, missing. He believes the illusion. I think this is also when they lit up their end of the corridor (my glowing dagger is at our end) with an eternal torch, but I'm not sure. We still can't see anyone except spiked-chain-guy. We hear Tobin praying to Pelor for Sanctuary.
I'm a little fuzzy on what happened next, but someone on their side announces that the fakes are an illusion and soon thereafter real-Turok charges spiked-chain-guy and SCG manages to trip Turok. Turok is hasted, so this is an inconvenience but is not fatal. They fight. (Note: someone on their side persists in believing the illusions to the bitter end, but I forget who.) Larissa casts magic missiles at spiked-chain-guy (dismissing a suggestion that she use fireball), and once visible moves down the corridor. Not far enough, though; Olven's fireball targetting Larissa also affects some of the invisible trio.
Prolix takes hold of Liandra and Kyle and Dimension-Doors to the other end of the corridor (all still invisible). Kyle sneak-attacks Viggo quite effectively. Liandra casts a strength-sapping spell on spiked-chain-guy. Prolix recovers from motion-sickness.
Turok has spiked-chain-guy well in hand at this point and switches to subdual damage. Kyle tries to subdue Viggo. Olven begins casting a spell (web, as it turned out), but Larissa has been waiting with a counterspell. Prolix casts a Rainbow Pattern, afftecting Viggo, Olven, and Tobin (though only Prolix can see the last).
Turok knocks spiked-chain-guy unconscious. Kyle, Liandra, and soon Turok begin pulling the others out of the pattern one at a time, subduing them and tying them up. (Prolix dumps a bag of flour over Tobin to facilitate this.) Larissa casts Detect Magic, specifically looking for the mind-control enchantment that is affecting the other party. She finds it but fails, twice, to dispel it. She tries her other detection ability but finds nothing.
We tie them all up, do a bunch of healing, and carry the unconscious party back to camp.
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Date: 2003-10-23 03:14 pm (UTC)The fuzzy bit: The illusions ran right through Tobin, who figured out that they were illusory and shouted out to that effect. Viggo is the one who believes in the illusions to the bitter end, but eventually he concentrated his firepower on people who are actually attacking. (He didn't hit anyone, though.)