[Avatar d20] Playtesting Combat 2 - lvl 5 pvm

[Mephibosheth]

Avatar d20 Playtesting Combat 2 – Level 5 Party v. Monster(s)

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa279/oliver426/g48235.png

Arena Map
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h197/Mephibosheth85/Avatar%2020%20Playtesting/Map1-1.png

A hush falls over the crowd as the wooden gates at either end of the arena open with a creak and the combatants file out from opposite sides of the arena, taking their places and preparing for the round to start. A voice booms from the announcer’s box.

Braaaaaains…braaaaains…*coughcoughcough* I have got to stop doing that. Anyway, it is time for the tournament to begin! Today, in this very arena, the finest combatants in the land will begin an epic test to determine who is worthy of victory and who will be returning home in shame! Now, let’s meet our challengers!

On the south side of the arena, hailing from the eastern Fire Nation and back for more, Shui Jin the firebender! He’s gained a lot of combat experience these last few weeks, and it will be interesting to see how he fares today. Accompanying him into combat, from the Earth Kingdom, Xun the earthbender! They will be assisted by Atoya Running Bull, a skilled hunter and tracker from far to the west! And finally, from waaay down at the South Pole, we have Li Lao the waterbender!

Let’s find out as the battle begins!

As the gates at both ends of the arena open and the combatants file in and quickly take their places, they see who they will be facing. At the other end of the arena, a large white bear lumbers out of the gate, followed closely by four wolves that growl and snap from around the bear’s legs.

OOC:
The initiative order will run thus:
Atoya Running Bull (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3945849&postcount=16)
Wolves
Xun (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3960242&postcount=28)
Bear
Li Lao (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheets/view.php?id=43944)
Shui Jin (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3971336&postcount=35)

When posting, please post both an “in character” and “out of character” description of your character’s actions. That way, it’s easy for everyone to understand what you’re doing, plus we can all enjoy the description. Also, please put your character’s name in bold at the top of each post. Linking to your character sheet or the post wherein your character appears wouldn’t be a bad idea. You don’t have to post your actions in initiative order, but please remember to wait for me to post a round summary before you post your actions for the next round. I realize this will make the combat go more slowly (I’ll probably only be able to make summary posts once per day), but will hopefully make things easier to understand and analyze later.

I hope I haven’t left anything out. If you have questions, post or PM.

Have fun!

[Superglucose]

OOC:Just a-posting here to get email updates! Also, is there a FAQ for rolling dice on this forum? I couldn't find one.
IC:
Li Lao looked about himself. Four wolves and a polar bear? He'd heard of polar bears in stories past, of the north. Something about demons and masters of ice... he had never really paid attention to the stories though. And wolves... forest dwellers? Is that what they were? Wherever they lived, there were four of them, and one of the beat, to only four of his allies. Grinning to himself he vowed to kick some ass.

[Shades of Gray]

And who here exactly is in charge of making sure the animals don't devour us? Regardless, let's go,

Xun claps his hands and hits the ground. Rocks rise up from under the polar bear.

OOC:
Immobolize Seed, taking ten, targeting bear, roll of 28.

[Mephibosheth]

OOC - Dice Rolling 101
Rolling dice on the boards is relatively simple. Use the following code:

xdy+z
Where "xdy" is the type and number of the dice you want to roll (ex. 1d20 or 5d6), and "z" is the modifier. Thus, rolling 1d20+5 would require the following code:
1d20+5 (remove the * when actually typing the code, as above)

For the purpose of clarity, preface your roll with a brief identifier in bold (ex. "Attack 1" or "Waterbending Check"). For example, the final code for an attack roll would be:
Attack 1 - 1d20+5 (again, remove the * when typing the code)

I hope that helps. Let me know if you have any questions.

[Eighth_Seraph]

Atoya Running Bull

....Running Bull stands still upon the grass, so much like his home. The wind blows and ruffles the placid green sea at his feet, its caress whistling through the cracks in the stone; the very earth murmuring to him. Running Bull sees that his opponents would be wolves and a bear; spirits that he understands well.
....Taking one final breath, Running Bull makes sure that his long ebony hair is well tied back and won't obscure his vision, then leaps into action. Taking his hunting bow in hand, he quickly lets loose with an arrow at the nearest wolf, understanding that the bear is only a threat if the wolves distract the team. Not taking the time to stand for the bear to maul him, Running Bull immediately seeks the high ground.

OOC
I fire a shot at Wolf 2, then take a move action to get to Q9. I then finish my move by making an accelerated climb up the western outcropping, a DC of 25 - 10 (bracing against two surfaces) + 5 (accelerated climb) = DC 20. Because I'm in my favored environment, I get an additional +2 to my Climb check, so my bonus is +11. I take 10 on the check and stand at the top of the rock outcropping, at Q11. Huzzah.

[roll0]
[roll1]

Also, Meph. Remember that natural armor for the animals is split in half between AC and DR under our variant, so the polar bear's stat block should be altered to reflect that. I think the wolves might have some natural armor, too.

For Reference:
Male Human Ranger 5
TN medium humanoid
Init +3; Senses Spot +5, Listen +5
Languages Common, Navajo
--------------------------------------------------------
AC 21, touch 20, flat-footed 19
HP 38/38; DR 2/-
Fort +6, Ref +7, Will +2
--------------------------------------------------------
Spd 30 ft.
Melee Twin Dao +12/+12 (1d8+3(+10 against mammals)), dagger +8 (1d4+3(+10 against mammals))
Ranged Composite Shortbow +9 (1d6+3(+10 against mammals))
Base Atk +5 Grapple +8
Atk Options Two-weapon fighting
Special Atks
---------------------------------------------------------
Abilities Str 16, Dex 16, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 12, Cha 10
SQ Endurance, Favored Enemy: Animal (mammal) +4, Favored Enemy: Vermin +2, Favored Environment (Plains) +2
Feats Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Twin Dao), Improved Favored Enemy (Complete Warrior), Track, Two-weapon defense, Two-weapon Fighting, Weapon Focus (Dao)
Skills Climb +9, Handle Animal +7, Hide +9, Jump +5, Knowledge (nature) +9, Listen +5, Move Silently +9, Spot +5, Survival +9, Swim +9,
Possessions Masterwork Chain Shirt, Balanced Twin Dao of Renown, Masterwork Composite Shortbow (+3 Strength), 40 arrows, hunting knife

[Pirate_King]

Shui Jin
for reference. I fixed my base attack bonus, I had it as +1 still on the recruiting thread...


Shui Jin
Male human Firebender 3/Ranger 2
NG medium humanoid
Init +6; Senses Spot +6, Listen +4
Languages Common
--------------------------------------------------------
AC 17, touch 17, flat-footed 14
HP 36/36; DR 3/-
Fort +6, Ref +9, Will +7
Bending Range 55 ft Average Bending 27
Bending Save DCs 16
--------------------------------------------------------
Spd 30 ft.
Melee: MW hand axe (+6, d6+1) or Fire Whip ( +5, 1D6 + 1)
Full-Attack: MW handaxe (+6) Fire Whip (+5)
Ranged: Fireblast (+7 1d6) Longbow (+7, 1D8)
Base Atk: +4
Atk Options: Fire Blast(d6), Fire Whip(+5, d6+1), dagger(+5, d4+1), Masterwork hand axe(+6, d6+1)
Special Atks: Dragon's Tail(Fire Whip + Intensity:DC 24) increases firewhip dmg to 2d6, 3d6 if beats dc by 4+
Seeds Known: Fire Whip, Blades of Fire, Intensity
---------------------------------------------------------
Abilities: Str 12(+1), Dex 16(+3), Con 14(+2), Int 12(+1), Wis 18(+4), Cha 12(+1)
SQ: Child of the Sun, Play with Fire, Deflect Attack, Imp Unarmed Strike, Favored environment (temperate forest) 1st favored enemy(Firebender + 2), Track, Wild Empathy, Combat style (TWF)
Feats: Skill Focus (Firebending), improved initiative, Extra Seed
Skills: Firebending +17 (+19 during day), Knowledge (Bending) +10, Concentration +7, escape artist +6
Possessions: Travelers outfit, leather armor DR increase +2, longbow, Masterwork Handaxe, hunting knife (as dagger) 7 GP

A test of strength against animals seems a bit barbaric. Never the less, I'll prove my ability. Maybe we can keep the skins. Jin followed the movements of the wolf directly across from him and let loose an arrow. After firing, he draws his hand axe and whips his other hand around to create his familiar firewhip.

longbow atk [roll0]
longbow dmg[roll1]
confirm[roll2]
draws the masterwork hand axe in his off-hand as part of the move action while creating the firewhip with his other hand. Taking ten for a check of 27 to create a 20 ft whip.

[Superglucose]

ooc:

I move to L 14 and draw a 10ft water whip. [roll0] against a DC of 20

Time to do his job, Lao shrugged. Running forward to a spot near the bridge, he extended a whip of water, preparing to do his best to not let anything cross that bridge.

[Superglucose]

ooc:

I move to L 14 and draw a 10ft water whip. Waterbending Check[roll0] against a DC of 20

Time to do his job, Lao shrugged. Running forward to a spot near the bridge, he extended a whip of water, preparing to do his best to not let anything cross that bridge.

[Mephibosheth]

Round 1

Map – End of Round 1
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h197/Mephibosheth85/Avatar%2020%20Playtesting/Map2-1.png

Running Bull is the quickest to react to a situation, loosing an arrow from his shortbow at one of the wolves before climbing atop one of the rock outcroppings. The wolf howls in pain as the arrow pierces its shoulder and sinks deep into its flesh.

The wolves let out a combined howl of rage and dash forward, easily leaping the stream and closing with the party. They growl as they lunge forward, their teeth bared. Two converge on Shui Jin, while Xun and Li are each targeted by a wolf. One wolf bites deep into Shui Jin’s shoulder, while another’s teeth clamp down on Li’s forearm. Both wolves attempt to bring their weight down on their targets and knock them to the ground.

Meanwhile, Xun attempts to ignore the wolf snapping at his heels and deal with the bear, who has yet to move from his starting location. He stamps the ground hard, and sheets of stone burst from the ground around the bear and lock on its shoulders. Unfortunately for Xun, the bear falls forward onto all fours just as the two slabs of stone collide with each other, and the bear is able to walk free of the trap. The wolf, taking the opportunity provided by Xun’s distraction, lunches forward again to bite at Xun, but is once again comes up short.

The bear lumbers out from between the two slabs of earth and crosses the bridge, stopping just short of where Shui Jin and the wolves are battling. He swings his paws and bats at the air, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

OOC:
Shui Jin takes 4 damage and Li takes 7 damage (not adjusted for DR) from wolf bites. Both of you need to make a Strength or Dexterity check or be knocked prone. Shui Jin needs to beat DC 17 and Li needs to beat DC 20. Shui Jin and Li Lao, I need those rolls from you, as well as possible actions for the first round should you fail to resist being tripped and actions for the second round.

[Superglucose]

ooc:

Pointless strength check to avoid being prone :smallwink: Chances are, I'm prone.
ASSUMING I'm prone, I think I'm pretty screwed.
I'll... try to get back up. That's my move action, then I'll try to use a ranged-ice shards attack, Waterbending check [roll1] damage [roll2]. Concentration check[roll3].

If I'm not prone, I'll draw a 5ft water whip as a move action waterbending check[roll]1d20+17 against a DC of 10. Then I'll try to trip the wolf neares me touch attack (I can't check now, but do whips naturally grant a bonus to trip attempts? I didn't include one) trip attempt[roll5].

Canon 1:
Lao cursed himself for his slowness, as well as his lack of ability to overcome this wolf. Stepping up to his feet, he popped the lid of his waterskins and froze the entirety of the water in them and hurtled them towards his canine opponent. "Great. Now I'm out of water."

Canon 2:
Lao outmuscled the four-legged fiend in front of him, and decided to give the little bastard a taste of his own medicine. Drawing his water out of a skin and forming it into a whip, Lao wrapped the water around his foe's feet, and quickly attempted to drop it.

[Pirate_King]

Dex Check. [roll0] I'll just edit the post based on the roll later

Shaken by the wolves' attack, Shui Jin completely loses any sympathy he had for the unthinking creatures. He swings both his whip and his axe at the closest living beast

[Pirate_King]

Taking a full attack against wolf 3; the second attack will be allocated to Wolf 2 if 3 is killed.

atk1[roll0]
confirm 1[roll1]
dmg1[roll2]
atk2[roll3]
confirm2[roll4]
dmg2(fire)[roll5]

[Superglucose]

OOC:
I move to L19, take an attack of opprotunity, and attempt to draw a waterwhip as a second move action, with damage 1d10. I take ten on the check, getting a 27 versus a DC of 26.

Cursing, Lao looked around him. No where to hide to bend at this beast, and nothing to do but take another hit and hope to get out of this creature's way. Sprinting around the wolf, he backed himself into a corner and got his whip ready. There was no way he'd be able to get back into this particular fight, but maybe he could remain not useless.

[Shades of Gray]

I'll bend defensively to catapult the wolf in front of me as far away from me possible with my roll. (i.e. towards the river)

[roll0]
[roll1]

Edit: woops, I named the second roll "concentration" I meant "Earthbending"

[Eighth_Seraph]

Running Bull

"Shaking his head at the brash and straight-forward strategies his partners are having trouble relinquishing; Running Bull realizes that it's time to step in more heavily. If the bear starts wreaking all the damage it has the potential to, Running Bull has serious doubts that any of the party will make it out of here alive. Before this takes place, though, there's a wolf at point-blank range presenting itself as the perfect target for an arrow to the heart. After loosing the projectile, Running Bull yells brusquely to Shui Jin.

"Jin, get out of here! Your fire-spirit is not aiding us when you are this close! Allow me to protect you!

As if to demonstrate this, Running Bull takes a step back to get out of range of the bear's jaws, and places his bow at his bare feet, immediately replacing it in his hands with an intricately decorated set of twin dao from the scabbard tied over his right shoulder.

OOC
I take a shot at Wolf 2, hoping to give Shui Jin some survival potential. He really doesn't have very much right now.

[roll0]
[roll1]

After that, I take a five-foot step to R10 and point for Shui Jin to make a run for it (withdrawal action) away from the wolves and to S9, where the bear can't maul him and we can force the surviving wolf or wolves into a bottleneck to take them out in relative safety. I take a free action to drop my bow, then a move action to draw my twin dao. It's time that we start thinking in terms of a team, boys.

And to be perfectly honest, Pirate King, I think you'd be better off making a Zuko-style double fire whip than the axe thing you've got going on right now. I don't see how the axe is contributing at all, other than restricting your range.

[Pirate_King]

it was a character thing more than anything else, and it's a light weapon so my penalties are lower for TWF, and it's got a higher crit dmg. Do Whips count as light for twf? I thought they only counted as light for weapon finesse

EDIT: Also, I can draw the axe as part of the move action that creates the whip, otherwise I'm stuck with a double move to get both weapons out, prolonging the amount of time before getting armed and making a full attack to use both of them.

[Mephibosheth]

Round 2

Map – End of Round 2
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h197/Mephibosheth85/Avatar%2020%20Playtesting/Map3-1.png

End of Round 1
Li Lao is knocked prone by the weight of the wolf falling on top of him, but he quickly regains his feet, narrowly dodging a second bite in the process. Emptying his waterskin, he hurls shards of ice at the wolf, causing it to shrink back as the ice bites deep into its skin. Shui Jin meanwhile summons a whip of fire from one fist and grips his ax in the other, ready to strike.

Round 2
Running Bulllooses a second arrow at one of the wolves snapping at Shui Jin only a few feet away. This arrow thuds solidly into the wolf’s side and it whines in pain before collapsing at Shui Jin’s feet.

The wolves meanwhile continue to snap at the combatants on the ground. One narrowly misses Xun’s neck, closing instead on the earthbender’s armored shoulder. A second similarly misses Shui Jin, but the tongue of fire snapping round the firebender’s head distracts the wolf and its bite goes wide of its target. The final remaining wolf is able to clamp its teeth around Li Lao’s shin and bites down hard.

Xun, with an impressive feat of concentration (matched the DC for the Concentration check) manages to shut out the commotion around him and stamps down hard on the earth, simultaneously thrusting his arms forward in an aggressive upper-cut motion. A column of stone shoots up from the ground and launches the wolf back toward the other end of the arena where it lays prone and momentarily stunned.

The polar bear startled to see the wolf fly past him, lumbers toward the most immediate threat, swiping at Xun with its claws and bringing its jaws into play as well. Xun is able to dodge most of the attacks, but one claw penetrates his armor and leaves a deep wound in the earthbender’s side.

Li Lao, still smarting from the bite to the calf, moves around his most immediate opponent to gain easier access to water, drawing a long thin whip from the stream in the middle of the arena and holding it at the ready.

Finally, Shui Jin brings his fire whip down on the wolf in front of him. The smell of seared hair rises from the wolf as its fur catches on fire and it yelps in fear and pain.

OOC:
Running Bul, you successfully take wolf 2 out of the fight. Li Lao, you take 7 damage from the wolf bite (not adjusted for DR). Also, FYI (unfortunately, it’s too late to change your actions for the last round), you can combine any seed with the Manipulate ability to draw the water from anywhere within your bending range. Xun, you take 14 damage from the bear’s claw attack (again, not adjusted for DR).

[Superglucose]

ooc:
Sometimes it's fun to roleplay someone who's desperate even when they're not. And yes I did know I could include the manipulate seed. Sorry, I get too in character sometimes :smallwink: Anyways, for this round I'll be tripping that wolf up, and then quicken-bending a 5ft cube of water and dropping it right between where myself and the wolf are.

http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheets/view.php?id=43944 for reference

touch attack[roll0]
trip attempt[roll1]
bending check[roll2] versus a DC of 22


IC:
Cursing himself for forgetting about the river for that small moment as he spent his waterskins, Lao tried to trip up the wolf in front of him and toss some water on the ground in front of him, getting ready to use that for some action the next round.

[Pirate_King]

Shui Jin

Thank you, Running Bull, I'll keep that in mind. Jin takes another swing against the remaining wolf with his hatchet, and back tracks between the columns, hoping the fire on the wolf's back will distract the beast enough for him to get out unscathed. As he moves back, he attempts to focus his energy into his whip.


attack with hatchet [roll0]
confirm [roll1]
dmg [roll2]

Move action to the indicated S9

[Shades of Gray]

How did the PB reach me from there? On the map s/he's far away, anyway, I'll move to R18, and fire a column from the other side of the pillar at the wolf.

If the wolf has moved from that location I will create the tallest earth column possible from the ground under me.

taking ten on eaither possibility, for a 17 on my earthbending check.

[Eighth_Seraph]

Atoya Running Bull

Running Bull is getting visibly aggravated with the apparent inexperience of his comrades. This is no way to battle a bear. At least they are not allowing the wolves to use their pack tactics. Hmph. This is what happens when medicine-men try to serve as warriors. They are far too confident in the power of their mother-spirits. Realizing that his hand has been forced, Running Bull prepares to do something that his father would never have allowed as he admonishes his teammates. Loosening his grip on his twin dao, he reunites the weapons into a single blade in a rapid, fluid motion.

"Jin, you must learn to be patient! The hunt is not something that can be rushed! Xu, Li! Keep your prey off me!

Taking a single quick step to the right, Running Bull makes a daring leap that skirts just over the noble bear's waiting jaws. As the land rushes towards his feet, Running Bull makes a deft spin and brings his blade crashing down on the enormous snowy mass of fur before recovering his stance and splitting his blades into a defensive pair once more.

OOC
I move to Q11 and jump off to P13, if I can make it. I have a +5 to Jump and it's a DC 20 check. I am, however, 10 feet above my target square but I'm not sure if that gives me a bonus. If it's at least a +5 bonus, then I'll take 10. If it's not, then here's my Jump check. If I can't make it to P13, then I'll land at P12.

[roll0]

Regardless of where I land, I attack the polar bear two-handed with my dao. I'm assuming that I round my Strength bonus up for two-handed fighting. I'm not sure if I get any attack or damage bonuses from falling 10 feet without Leap Attack, but I'd like to get as much as humanly possible from this attack.

[roll1]
[roll2]

Immediately afterwards, I split my dao back into two weapons, assuming it's a free action. If it's swift, then I've done all I can do.

By the way, Pirate King, the idea was for you to take a withdraw action, that means no attacks from you, and no attack of opportunity against you, and thus no free trip attempt from the wolf, which would lead to serious maulings from the bear in close proximity. Right now, you better hope that the AoO you just provoked won't do all the damage it has the potential to. I'm roleplaying 10 Charisma over here, so sorry if I'm brusque or unclear.

[Mephibosheth]

Round 3

Map – End of Round 3
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h197/Mephibosheth85/Avatar%2020%20Playtesting/Map4.png

Running Bull's daring leap carries him over the bear’s head and he lands on the ground in a crouch. He then lashes out with his dao at the polar bear, who bellows in pain as the blade slices into his side, leaving a long, deep wound.

Meanwhile, the wolves continue their attack. The wolf so recently catapulted by Xun darts forward again, once more easily leaping the stream. It focuses its attack on Atoya this time, but the nimble ranger is able to dodge out of the way of the wolf’s teeth. The wolf attacking Shui Jin continues to do so and his jaws bite into the firebender’s shoulder. The final wolf closes in on Li Lao, but his bite too falls wide of the mark.

Xun retreats from the fray in order to gain the space to bend, causing a column of earth to thrust up underneath the wolf attacking Shui Jin. This wolf is similarly unable to avoid the column, and is blasted to the other side of the arena, where it crumples in an unconscious heap.

The bear continues to claw and bite at the firebender, and both of its claws collide with Shui Jin’s sides. It attempts to grab the unfortunate firebender, but Shui Jin is able to dodge out of the way and prevent the bear from getting a firm grip.

Li Lao brings his newly-formed water whip lashing toward the nearest wolf. The water wraps around the wolf’s front paws and pulls its legs out from underneath it. The wolf falls to the ground in a heap of fur. Li uses this opportunity to bring some water from the stream towards him for easier access.

Finally, in his haste to move away from the bear that so recently mauled him, Shui Jin’s attack with his hatchet goes wide of its mark. He is, however, able to dodge one last final attack from the bear as he retreats.

OOC
I’m sorry, Xun. I meant for Shui Jin to take that damage, but must have typed your character’s name by mistake. I’ll edit the above post. Apologies to both of you for the confusion (and the unexpected damage, in the case of Shui Jin). Xun, you can subtract the damage and Shui Jin, please add it.

Running Bull, you deal 21 damage to the bear after DR (the bear’s natural armor gives it DR 1/-). I added an additional d6 damage from the jump. You can indeed split your dao into their twin form as a free action, so no problems there.

Shui Jin, you take 2 points of damage from the wolf’s bite (as always, not adjusted for DR), but are successfully able to avoid being tripped.

Xun, I assume you meant to catapult W3.

Shui Jin, you also take two hits from the bear (12 and 15 damage, not adjusted for DR). You are, however, miraculously able to avoid being grappled by the bear (I rolled a two on its grapple check and a 18 on yours).

[Superglucose]

IC: Lao chuckled to himself. "Finally I have this wolf where I want him: at my feet." He quickly took the water in front of him and flipped it into ice shards quickly, he readied himself in case the foolish wolf would dare stand up again.

"Since when has my 'prey' been near anyone but me?" Lao called. Sure, maybe he'd fallen down once, but that didn't make him useless! It just meant it would take a little longer for him to finish off his opponent. Besides, he wasn't meant to kill anything, just do what he was doing now: take an opponent down and whittle him away.

OOC:

Ok, I quickened bending the water I used to fill the 5ft square the wolf is currently in. I don't think I count as threatened by the wolf (seeing as he's on the ground and can't attack) but you may correct me if I'm wrong. I take 10 on the bending check for a total of 10+21 (+17, Focus Bending) = 31 versus a DC of 30 (10 for 5ft of spikes +20 for doing it as a move action). The wolf takes [roll0] piercing and [roll1] cold damage. After all that, I prepare a standard action, should the wolf stand up again, I'll trip him once more.
touch attack[roll2] trip attempt[roll3].

If he's tripped he takes a further [roll4]+[roll5]piercing and [roll6] cold.

edit: yay for rolling two ones for damage :smallyuk:

[Pirate_King]

firebenders aren't the most patient types... eh, I was hoping that it would be too distracted from being on fire to take an attack of opportunity. 'm at 14 HP now. I'll be more careful

Finally taking head to Atoya's advice, Jin focuses on his true abilities while hidden. The whip around him grows hotter and hotter as he creates another one with his other hand, sliding his axe back into it's sheath.

this might be a little complicated. I'll try intensity as a move action, and the form that combines intensity and firewhip as a standard action, with separate firebending checks, the first at DC 30 for quickened bending, the second at DC 24. if I fail the quickened bending attempt, I'll just take it as it's standard action and only make the whip as the move, if I'm allowed to do that.
quickened intensity 1d20+19 vs DC 30
Intense Firewhip 1d20+19 vs DC 24 (10 ft longer if beats 34)

[Pirate_King]

okay, why no worky?
[roll0]
[roll1]
okay, depending on the rules for failed quickened bending, this either makes my first firewhip do 2d6, and my second firewhip is just 20ft, or it does nothing to my first firewhip (as a failed and completely ineffective check) and makes a 20 foot second firewhip that deals 2d6 dmg. Meph, however you want to handle this should go into the rules for quickened bending.

EDITED for damage, forgot my fireblast was still only 1D6, and I could only increase my firewhip by that much. Essentially, either way this is run, I have 2 20ft whips, one of which deals an extra d6 of fire damage. Had I enough levels in firebender, it would make a difference, because I could either increase length or damage, but not both(with the scores I got, anyway).

[Eighth_Seraph]

Atoya Running Bull

Very good; it seems that this remarkably unlikely team of fighters has gained a firm control over the battle. Running Bull doesn't feel any safer, though. He is within reach of a polar bear's claws and jaws, and there's an enraged wolf snapping at his heels. This needs to be ended, and quickly. There's nothing more dangerous than a cornered beast.

"Xu! Keep control of your prey! I cannot hope to defend myself against both of these animals! Jin, help me as best you can with this bear!

Taking a deep breath, Running Bull begins to circle the bear, using a quick skip to put some distance between himself and the wolf, hopefully giving Xu an opportunity to remove the threat. Taking advantage of his motion, Running Bull lashes out to the bear' head with his left-handed dao and follows up with a cross-step and a strike from the right. Continuing the spin motion, Running Bull moves seamlessly into his fighting stance, expecting the bear to counter-attack at any moment.

OOC
Five-foot step to P12, then a full attack on the polar bear. Simple enough.

[roll0]
[roll1]


[roll2]
[roll3]

It's crunch time everybody. Let's finish this.

Also: w00t! I'm a Bugbear in the Playground now!

[Shades of Gray]

Xun Climbs on top of the outcropping in front of me. He smashes the pillar with his fists. Earth runs across the outcropping, then the ground, towards the wolf, a large pillar appears under the wolf.

OOC:
Takin' ten on the catapult here.
I'm at P18.
I really wish I could combine this with column at this level, so I could make the wolf land on a column, too bad the overall DC would be 34:smallannoyed:

If you haven't noticed, I love catapult.:smallbiggrin: .

[Mephibosheth]

Round 4

Map – End of Round 4
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h197/Mephibosheth85/Avatar%2020%20Playtesting/Map5.png

Running Bull unleashes a flurry of strikes on the polar bear, cutting deeply into its head and shoulders. The bear gives a bellow of pain and rage and is bleeding heavily.

The wolf behind Running Bull darts forward and snaps at the ranger’s shoulder. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on your point of view), Running Bull is able to jerk his shoulder out of the wolf’s grasp at the last second, and the teeth bite down on air. The wolf on the ground next to Li stands to his feet, and the waterbender is able to use this opportunity to lash out with his water whip and strike the wolf in the neck. With a whine, the wolf stumbles and falls unconscious.

Xun, atop the rock outcropping, slams his fists into the stone and sends a ripple of earth toward the final remaining wolf. A short column burst from the ground at the end of the ripple. Unfortunately, the wolf is able to dodge out of the way of the pillar.

Panting loudly, the bear turns its attacks on Running BUll. The ranger is overwhelmed by the speed and strength of the bears paws, but is able to dodge out of the way of the bear’s bite. He is severely buffeted by the bear’s paws, one of which latches firmly onto his neck and shoulder and pulls him toward the bear’s chest.

Li Lao quickly brings a large quantity of water around to where the bear is standing, flooding the ground before freezing the water into sharp, upward-facing shards under the bear’s feet.

Shui Jin, out of sight behind one of the rock outcroppings, breathes deeply before going through the motions to summon a second whip of fire. He also tries to intensify the heat of both of his whips, but rushes the form to intensify his original whip, and the fire sputters and remains at its original level of intensity.

OOC:
Wolf 4 out of commission!

Running Bull, you take 11 damage and 11 damage from the bear’s claw attacks (not adjusted for DR). You are also grappled by the bear.

Shui Jin, your quickened bending attempt fails (as you know), so I’m ruling that you rushed your efforts and were unable to complete the seed. You do (however) manage to summon forth your second fire whip with the intensity seed. In summary, your original whip still deals 1d6 fire damage while your second whip deals 2d6.

[Superglucose]

IC:

"Aha!" Lao exclaimed, before tossing a hoard of ice spikes at the bear.

ooc:

taking ten on a bending check to deal [roll0] piercing and cold damage to that bear. (bending check: 10+21=31 versus a DC of 22).
Can I also try to do a quickened bending as a move action to send more spikes at him? If so,
I'll try to do 1d6 piercing damage channeled into a water blast for a dc of 29
[roll1] versus a dc of 34. damage [roll2] bludgeoning and [roll3] piercing/cold damage.

[Eighth_Seraph]

Atoya Running Bull

Running Bull is having trouble comprehending the amount of trouble that he's in right now. All he knows is that an enormous white mass is enveloping his frame and crushing the lithe frame that had sustained him so well against the wolves a few minutes ago. Crying out in pain, Running Bull tries desperately to disentangle himself from the bear's fur and claws and fangs before .

OOC
Just like it sounds. I try a desperately nigh-impossible grapple check to get out of this situation before I'm pinned and absolutely destroyed.

[roll0]

[Shades of Gray]

Atoya!

Xun fires off an earth blast at the wolf.

Takin' ten on the DC.
[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]

I forget if earth blasts can crit, if not, then disregard the last roll.

[Pirate_King]

Jin leaps out from behind the column and lashes out against the bear

5 foot step to O7, full attack with both whips
atk 1 [roll0]
confirm 1 [roll1]
dmg 1 [roll2]
atk 2 [roll3]
confirm 2 [roll4]
dmg 2 [roll5]

This is under the understanding that firewhips count as light weapons. if not, take -2 more off of both the attack rolls

[Eighth_Seraph]

OOC (Sort of)
Atoya Running Bull

Running Bull sighs, frustrated, and politely excuses himself from the polar bear. He walks over to the center of the wooden bridge and pulls a large chalkboard with a wooden frame from the bag of holding sewn into the pocket of his elk-skin pants. Placing a pair of tortoise-shell reading glasses on his nose, Running Bull pulls some orange chalk from his pocket.

Now, let's begin the lesson. Wallace?"

Immediately, wolf #2 stands up and pulls the arrow out of its side with its teeth, then walks briskly over to the chalkboard and braces himself against it, holding it erect. The polar bear makes its way to the center of the southern half of the arena to get a better look at the goings on. Running Bull ensures that Wallace is holding the board securely and begins to write his name on the chalkboard in elegant calligraphy.

"You see, everyone, I have found it exceedingly frustrating that you all refer to me as 'Atoya'. Among my people, it is customary to first say one's clan name and then one's own name. And seeing as we don't have a written language, it has never become a problem with us. Of course, the Atoya clan is entirely fictional, made by the ever-accommodating Eighth Seraph in order to ensure that the Plains Indians of the American midwest are not insulted. Therefore, my name is Running Bull, inspired by a combination of Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, two prominent American Indian leaders of the mid 19th century. When you call out 'Atoya', you are actually asking the entirety of my tribe for help, which I do not believe to be your intention. Now please, take this into account in the future."

With a final emphatic tap of the chalk on the chalkboard, Running Bull stuffs his object lessons back in his bag of holding.

"Thank you for the assistance, Wallace.

The wolf nods emphatically and walks over to the bloody arrow, which he immediately jams back into his side, then falls over limply, as before. Running Bull walks back to the position he had been before alongside the polar bear, who immediately begins crushing him with his forepaws again.

"Oh, hang on a moment. My glasses."

Quickly removing his glasses and placing them carefully into his dimensional pocket, Running Bull nods to the bear, who begins squeezing his bones painfully again.

[Pirate_King]

OOC (Sort of)
Atoya Running Bull

Running Bull sighs, frustrated, and, politely excusing himself from the polar bear, hewalks over to the center of the wooden bridge and pulls a large chalkboard on a wooden stand from the bag of holding sewn into the pocket of his elk-skin pants. Putting on a pair of tortoise-shell reading glasses, he pulls some orange chalk from his pocket.

Now, let's begin the lesson. Wallace?"

Immediately, wolf #2 stands up and pulls the arrow out of its side with its teeth, then walks briskly over to the chalkboard and braces himself against it, holding it erect. The polar bear makes its way to the center of the southern half of the arena to get a better look at the goings on. Running Bull ensures that Wallace is holding the board securely and begins to write his name on the chalkboard in elegant calligraphy.

"You see, everyone, I have found it exceedingly frustrating that you all refer to me as 'Atoya'. Among my people, it is customary to first say one's clan name and then one's own name. And seeing as we don't have a written language, it has never become a problem with us. Of course, the Atoya clan is entirely fictional, made by the ever-accommodating Eighth Seraph in order to ensure that the Plains Indians of the American midwest are not insulted. Therefore, my name is Running Bull, inspired by a combination of Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, two prominent American Indian leaders of the mid 19th century. When you call out 'Atoya', you are actually asking the entirety of my tribe for help, which I do not believe to be your intention. Now please, take this into account in the future."

With a final emphatic tap of the chalk on the chalkboard, Running Bull stuffs his object lessons back in his bag of holding.

"Thank you for the assistance, Wallace.

The wolf nods emphatically and walks over to the bloody arrow, which he immediately jams back into his side, then falls over limply, as before. Running Bull walks back to the position he had been before alongside the polar bear, who immediately begins crushing him with his forepaws again.

"Oh, hang on a moment. My glasses."

Quickly removing his glasses and placing them carefully into his dimensional pocket, Running Bull nods to the bear, who begins squeezing his bones painfully again.

Well, I got it right once...

totally feeling you on the whole name confusion thing, though.

[Mephibosheth]

OOC:
Sorry, Eighth. I will admit ignorance to Native American naming conventions and didn't pick up on it from your posts, unfortunately.

*definitely didn't go back and edit his post to change the name :smallwink:*

[Mephibosheth]

Round 5

Map – End of Round 5
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h197/Mephibosheth85/Avatar%2020%20Playtesting/Map6.png

Running Bull struggles desperately against the polar bears formidable strength, but is caught fast in the bear’s claws and unable to break free.

The wolf behind him, meanwhile, attempts to bite down on the unfortunate ranger, but the bear’s bulk gets in the way of his attack and his jaws are knocked to the side.

At it recovers from it attack, Xun’s Earth Blast catches the wolf in the side of the head, knocking it unconscious to the ground in a shower of dust and shards of rock.

The bear hugs Running Bull close to its body, attempting to crush the ranger.

Li Lao reaches out with his chi toward the stream, and sends shards of ice hurtling through the air toward the bear. He tries to use his momentum to swing another burst of water and ice at the bear, but his hurried motions are careless and the water simply splashes to the ground.

Shui Jin’s fire whips crack as they speed through the air. One of them strikes the bear in the back of the neck, and it turns its head toward the firebender with a whine of pain and fear. The second whip lashes out, but swings wide of the bear and strikes the nearby rock outcropping. Despite this miss, you can see the bear stagger slightly, and it has numerous deep wounds from sword, ice, and flame.

OOC:
Xun, you can critical with Earth Blasts, just FYI.

Running Bull, of you make a successful DC 26 grapple check, you avoid damage from the bear’s crushing paws. If you fail, you take 13 damage (unadjusted for DR).

Li Lao, you forgot your attack roll for the spikes. However, I rolled it for you, and you hit with a roll of 20. Unfortunately, you didn’t make the DC to quicken a Water Blast/Ice Shards combo. The DC for that maneuver would be 5 (Water Blast) + 10 (Ice Shards) +4 (combining seeds) +20 (quickening to a move action) = 39. Just missed it.

[Pirate_King]

I never thought about quickening an attack action...

MORE shouts Jin, as he swings his whips again

another full attack
atk 1 [roll0]
confirm 1 [roll1]
dmg 1 [roll2]
atk 2 [roll3]
confirm 2 [roll4]
dmg2 [roll5]

[Superglucose]

IC: Li Lao reached into himself again and fired off two more ice blasts.

oc:

let's do it right this time :P
take ten on the check, for a 31 total on the first attack with a DC of 31 (10+5 for the seeds, +4 for combining, +4 +4 +4 for three increases on the damage of the ice shards).
Attack roll: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]
Confirm: [roll2]

now for the quickened check.
10+20+4 to do a single increased quickened ice shards attack for a DC of 34.
Check:[roll3]
Attack roll:[roll4]
Damage:[roll5]
Confirm: [roll6].

[Eighth_Seraph]

Atoya Running Bull

Running Bull is growing increasingly afraid, and angry. He struggles to break free from the bear's crushing arms, wanting nothing more than to unite his dao and use it to slice the bear's chest wide open.

OOC
Here I go again.
[roll0]

Also, if I somehow manage to break free, is there any way that I can use an attack action as part of this process? If so, here's my roll for my two-handed twin dao attack.

[roll1]
[roll2]

[Shades of Gray]

Xun readies an action so that when Running Bull breaks free or is slain, he activates a catapult under the bear, towards the water.

[Mephibosheth]

Round 7

In a feat of desperate strength, Running Bull manages to force the bear’s paws away from himself just enough to squirm free of the bear’s clutches and drop back to the ground. He lands softly on the balls of his feat and brings his dao together, ready for another strike.

As soon as he sees Running Bull fall to the ground, Xun sends another surge of his chi burrowing under the ground and bursting forth in a column aimed at the bear. Once again, he is frustrated when the bear moves quickly to the side and avoids the column.

With only Running Bull in reach, the bear lashes out again at the ranger. One of its paws collides with the side of Running Bull’s head, while its jaws bite down hard on Running Bull’s shoulder.

Meanwhile, Li Lao sends two blasts composed of a deadly mix of compressed water and shards of ice hurtling toward the bear in quick succession. The first flies over the bear’s head, but the second strikes it in the back and the bear staggers, severely wounded.

At almost the same time, Shui Jin brings his fire whips streaking toward the bear, connecting solidly both times. The combination of the ice and the fire overwhelms the bear’s failing strength, and it collapses to the ground, unconscious.

The fight is over.

OOC:
Sorry Running Bull, breaking a grapple is an attack action, and you don’t have more than one attack granted by your BAB.

Running Bull takes 12 damage from the claw and 12 damage from the bite (both unadjusted).

Nice work everyone on the battle. I’m really pleased with how everything went, despite a few hiccups along the way. It seems like nothing was too overpowered, and the new classes acquitted themselves well in this battle. Feel free/encouraged to post any comments/concerns/issues that this battle brought to light over in the playtesting analysis thread (linked in the project hub).

Thanks a lot for playing. I enjoyed the combat thoroughly, and I hope you did too.