PDA

View Full Version : Clash of the Nine Swords: Round 1



CockroachTeaParty
2008-03-01, 03:13 PM
I recently created nine level 20 characters out of complete boredom, using the rules from the Tome of Battle: Book of Nine Swords. Three swordsages, three crusaders, and three warblades, each wielding one of the fabled Nine Swords, each representing a master of their favored discipline. They are to face off in one-on-one combat, using whatever means necessary to achieve victory. I will post for your reading enjoyment the results of these epic confrontations. Who will emerge victorious as the true master of the Sublime Way?

These characters are not optimized. I constructed them in such a way as to attempt to ideally represent their chosen discipline. Each character had 760,000 gp to spend on gear, with the cost of Legacy Weapon rituals subtracted. A few characters with LA were bought off, the cost of the experience subtracted from their starting gold at a 5 gp per 1 XP paid.

Some details have been removed, such as the maneuvers selected (and in the case of crusaders, granted). You will witness the power of these moves as they are executed.

Tournament Round I: Desert Wind vs. Stone Dragon.

Selected at random, the first two to square off are Milanda, a human master of the Desert Wind school, wielding the magic scimitar Desert Wind, and Tranal Firehammer, a dwarf master of the Stone Dragon school, wielding Unfettered.

Milanda
Milanda: female human swordsage 20; medium humanoid (human); HD 20d8+68; hp 161/161; init.+14; Spd. 30 ft.; AC 41, touch 28, flat footed 32; Base Atk+15/+10/+5; Grp.+19; Atk +24 melee (1d6+10/18-20+1d6 fire, scimitar) or +23 ranged touch (6d6 fire); Full Atk +24/+19/+14 (scimitar); SA weapon focus (desert wind), insightful strike (desert wind), insightful strike (diamond mind), dual boost 3/3 day, fiery slash, fiery blade, fan the flames, flames of the desert; SQ quick to act+5, AC bonus, sense magic, defensive stance (desert wind), improved evasion, defensive stance (diamond mind), desert child, dance of flame and wind+6, desert draw; AL CN; SV Fort.+12, Ref.+27, Will+22; Str 20, Dex 28, Con 18, Int 10, Wis 18, Cha 8.
Skills and Feats: Balance+35, Concentration+28, Diplomacy+2, Intimidate+23, Jump+31, Martial Lore+24, Sense Motive+28, Tumble+37; Desert Wind Dodge, Desert Fire, Vital Recovery, Scorching Sirocco, Blade Meditation (Desert Wind), Combat Reflexes, Extra Readied Maneuver, Sudden Recovery.
Languages: Common.
Spell-like Abilities: 3/3 day: Burning Hands (CL 5th, DC 11)
Desert Wind's Toll: -2 ATK penalty, -4 Fort. save penalty, 12 hp lost.
Desert Wind's Gifts: Endure Elements, CL 5th, at all times. Quick Draw with the blade. Fan the Flames at will. Burning Blade as an immediate action once per encounter. +10 fire damage with Wyrm's Flame.
Swordsage Maneuvers Known: (IL 20th): 1—Burning Blade, Distracting Ember, Wind Stride, Moment of Perfect Mind. 2: Flashing Sun, Fire Riposte, Emerald Razor. 3: Zephyr Dance, Mind Over Body. 4: Searing Charge, Firesnake, Bounding Assault. 5: Lingering Inferno, Leaping Flame, Rapid Counter. 6: Ring of Fire, Greater Insightful Strike. 7: Salamander Charge, Inferno Blade, Avalanche of Blades, Quicksilver Motion. 8: Wyrm's Flame, Diamond Defense. 9: Inferno Blast, Time Stands Still.
Maneuvers Readied: (13)
Stances Known: 1: Stance of Clarity, Flame's Blessing. 3: Holocaust Cloak. 5: Hearing the Air. 6: Fiery Assault. 8: Rising Phoenix.
Possessions: Desert Wind (+4 flaming burst scimitar), bracers of armor+8, gauntlets of ogre power, cloak of resistance+5, monk's belt, periapt of wisdom+4, ring of protection+4, ring of Freedom of Movement, pale green ioun stone, robe of scintillating colors, handy haversack, goggles of night, skin of the defender, bottle of air, boots of speed , scabbard of keen edges, MW buckler, Potions: 2 remove blindness/deafness, remove curse, remove disease, 5 cure serious wounds, 3 lesser restoration, 3 remove fear, resist cold 30, resist electricity 30, 2 neutralize poison.

Tranal
Tranal Firehammer: male dwarf crusader of Moradin 20; medium humanoid (dwarf); HD 20d10+148; hp 262/262; init.+1; Spd. 20 ft.; AC 29, touch 16, flat footed 28; Base Atk+20/+15/+10/+5; Grp.+28; Atk +33 melee (2d6+21/19-20, greatsword) or +32 melee (1d10+14/x3, dwarven waraxe); Full Atk +33/+28/+23/+18 (greatsword) or +32/+27/+22/+17 (dwarven waraxe); SA furious counterstrike, smite; SQ darkvision 60 ft., stonecunning, stability, steely resolve 30, indomitable soul, zealous surge 1/1 day, mettle; AL LG; SV Fort.+23, Ref.+6, Will+12; Str 30, Dex 12, Con 26, Int 10, Wis 8, Cha 18.
Skills and Feats: Balance+22, Concentration+9, Intimidate+26, Listen+5, Spot+5, Tumble+6; Diehard, Stone Power, Power Attack, Shards of Granite, Blade Meditation (Stone Dragon), Improved Bull Rush, Cometary Collision, Martial Stance (Strength of Stone).
Languages: Common, Dwarven.
Smite: 2/2 day: +4 attack, +20 damage.
Unfettered's Gifts: 5/5 day: Charging Minotaur. Light fortification.
Spell-like Abilities: 1/1 day: Enlarge Person (CL 5). 1/1 day: Meld Into Stone (CL 10). 1/1 day: Stoneskin (must be in Stone Dragon stance, CL 13). 1/1 day: Mordenkainen's Sword (CL 17).
Dwarf Traits: +2 saves vs. poison and seplls. +1 attack vs. orcs and goblinoids. +4 AC vs. giants. +2 Appraise and Craft with stone and metals.
Unfettered's Toll: -2 Attacks, -4 Reflex saves, 12 hp lost.
Crusader Maneuvers Known: 1: Vanguard Strike. 3: Bonecrusher, Revitalizing Strike. 4: Bonesplitting Strike. 5: Mountain Avalanche, Radiant Charge. 6: Irresistible Mountain Strike, Crushing Vice. 7: Colossus Strike, Ancient Mountain Hammer. 8: Earthstrike Quake, Adamantine Bones. 9: Mountain Tombstone Strike, Strike of Righteous Vitality. 7 (5)
Stances Known: 1: Stonefoot Stance, Martial Spirit. 3: Roots of the Mountain. 5: Giant's Stance. 8: Strength of Stone.
Possessions: Unfettered (+5 greatsword), +5 holy adamantine dwarven waraxe, +5 SR 19 adamantine full plate, +5 light fortification heavy steel shield, belt of giant strength+4, cloak of resistance+3, dust of disappearance, amulet of health+6, headband of charisma+6, ring of freedom of movement, ring of protection+5, handy haversack, 3 potions of Cure Serious Wounds, 3 potions of resist energy 20 (fire, cold, electricity).

Conditions:
100 ft. square, featureless arena. Bright daylight. Opponents begin 30 ft. away from each other, in the middle of the arena.

Round 1
Before initiative is rolled, Milanda and Tranal engage each other in a duel of wills. The dwarf's steely stare conquers the human's will, giving the dwarf a slight edge before the battle even begins...
However, the speedy swordsage easily wins initiative. With supernatural speed she draws Desert Wind from her Scabbard of Keen Edges, activating her Robe of Scintillating Colors with a command word. She then assumes the Rising Pheonix stance, and a column of superheated air lifts her up 10 ft., then backwards 20 ft. Finally, she takes out her potion of Good Hope from her Handy Haversack, in hopes of overcoming the blow she has suffered to her morale.
Tranal calmly unsheathes Unfettered, assuming the Giant's Stance and activating the weapon's Enlarge Person ability. The dwarf grows to an impressive eight and a half feet tall, his reach doubled and strength bolstered.

Round 2
Hovering above the arena floor, Milanda downs her potion, receiving a welcome morale boost. She then initiates the Quicksilver Motion boost, flying to within 30 ft. of her now giant-sized foe. She then spins her scimitar with supernatural speed, generating a cone of deadly fire in what is known as the Wyrm's Flame. The surly dwarf manages to sidestep the worst of the flames, taking 24 damage which is all absorbed into his Steely Resolve.
Channeling the pain of the searing heat into zealous vengeance, Tranal abandons his stance, charging the hovering swordsage and unleashing the ultimate Stone Dragon attack: the dreaded Mountain Tombstone Strike. Simultaneously, he channels the energy of his attack into his Stone Power feat, receiving 10 temporary hit points from sheer toughness. The human's magical robe fails to provide enough concealment to protect her from Tranal's determined strike: the massive blade collides with her, shattering bone and muscle. Milanda takes 6 constitution damage, and 38 damage on top of that, effectively losing a devastating 98 hp in a single attack. Almost as an afterthought, Tranal assumes the Strength of Stone stance. His temporary hit points absorb the worst of the previous fire damage, and the dwarf effectively only suffers 14 points of damage from Milanda's initial attack.

Round 3
Milanda gasps for breath, trying to think clearly as she recovers from such a crushing blow. She faces a choice: fly out of the dwarf's reach, down several potions, and recover her strength, or take advantage of the drop in the dwarf's defenses. Realizing she may never have another opportunity such as this, she acts with earnest desperation. She floats closer to Tranal, just high enough to receive the benefit of attacking from higher ground, then activates the Avalanche of Blades maneuver, as well as the Inferno Blade boost. Her scimitar flashes with lightning speed, but alas, luck is not on her side, and she only manages to connect with three strikes before she loses her rhythm and balance. However, each slash is devastating, coated in white-hot fire, and despite the hardness of the dwarf's adamantine armor and his indomitable resolve, he still receives a punishing 114 damage (144, not counting Steely Resolve). Her foe is still standing, and Milanda knows that unless the Fates look upon her kindly, the fight might be over before it has even begun...
Tranal shrugs off the scorching barrage, ignoring the pathetic illusionary patterns of the swordsage's magical robe. With his zealous retaliation at its peak, he focuses his muscles and soul into one final finishing strike. Channeling 5 points into Stone Power and 5 points into Power Attack, the crusader unleashes the fury of the Colossus Strike. Tranal just makes the attack (he would have missed had he rolled 1 lower), connecting with Milanda and bypassing her concealment. The blow sends her flying backward 15 feet, and she falls another 10 feet. The punishing strike itself dealt 61 damage, leaving her with 2 hit points remaining, and then the fall back to the earth rendered her unconscious.

As the dust settles, Tranal returns Unfettered to the sheathe on his back. Milanda was a worthy challenger, but no amount of flashy tricks or fancy footwork could overcome the power of the Stone Dragon. "No matter how hard the wind may blow, the mountain cannot bow."

Aftermath
Victor: Tranal Firehammer, Master of Stone Dragon
Time Passed: 18 seconds
Most Damage Dealt in a Single Round: Milanda, dealing 144 hp of damage with her Inferno Blade Avalanche attack.

In retrospect, I should have had Milanda open up with Inferno Blast instead of Wyrm's Flame. Also, I should have had her use Time Stands Still in conjunction with Inferno Blade, as she would have been able to add the fire damage from the Rising Pheonix stance into the full attack. However, in the end, it probably would not have been enough to drop Tranal, though she would have made a better showing. Still, perhaps she was trying to save her big guns for later in the fight, but as we can clearly see, Tranal only needed a few hits to bring her down. Perhaps a swordsage against a crusader is a might unfair, but the other swordsages have other tricks up their sleeves. In some respects, Milanda was the weakest contender, but such is the way events unfolded.

Tune in next time for the second round of the tournament: Iron Heart vs. Shadow Hand!

Zincorium
2008-03-01, 03:21 PM
Maybe I'm way off base, but isn't there supposed to be, well, other people in a game of D&D?

Even if there were some way to objectively look at each of the disciplines in isolation of other factors and with no biases, it doesn't matter simply because almost all martial adepts will use a mix of different styles.

I'm missing the point, and you didn't actually write out what it was supposed to be.

Adumbration
2008-03-01, 03:28 PM
He did it becouse he could and it was fun?

I don't know, I enjoyed reading it, though I don't know much about Tome Of Battle. (Read, nothing.)

CockroachTeaParty
2008-03-01, 03:42 PM
Maybe I'm way off base, but isn't there supposed to be, well, other people in a game of D&D?

Even if there were some way to objectively look at each of the disciplines in isolation of other factors and with no biases, it doesn't matter simply because almost all martial adepts will use a mix of different styles.

I'm missing the point, and you didn't actually write out what it was supposed to be.

This isn't supposed to be the ultimate test to see which school is best. I've just been putting these characters together for fun during odd bits of free time. Since I only play with other people once a week, sometimes I like to fiddle with things. I just posted these for fun, I'm not trying to prove anything necessarily.

TK-Squared
2008-03-01, 03:57 PM
I do hope when using Giant's Stance and Enlarge Person, you weren't using Unfettered as a Huge weapon because Giant's Stance only goes upto Large.

Xefas
2008-03-01, 04:04 PM
I bet 10 nonexistent internet dollars on Devoted Spirit. Assuming you made the Crusader lawful-aligned. Lawful Devoted Spirit is my favorite discipline, with White Raven trailing closely behind.

Dragonmuncher
2008-03-01, 04:15 PM
Fun read! I look forward to the rest.

brian c
2008-03-01, 04:26 PM
I bet 10 nonexistent internet dollars on Devoted Spirit. Assuming you made the Crusader lawful-aligned. Lawful Devoted Spirit is my favorite discipline, with White Raven trailing closely behind.

In this tournament setup though, White Raven isn't going to be as good because you don't have allies. With proper choice of maneuvers and feats for TWF, Tiger Claw is awesome, but it gets a lot better if you use PrCs too.

Xefas
2008-03-01, 04:38 PM
In this tournament setup though, White Raven isn't going to be as good because you don't have allies. With proper choice of maneuvers and feats for TWF, Tiger Claw is awesome, but it gets a lot better if you use PrCs too.

Oh, I know that. I'm talking favorite in terms of flavor/experience with them.

If you wanted to know who I thought would win based on actual 1 on 1 arena usefulness, I'd go with Diamond Mind. Two Full Attack Actions at level 20 is likely to drop anyone, really (combine it with the Sudden Leap 1st level Tiger Claw boost to get into position, and you have death in 1 round). Not to mention several of the Diamond Mind abilities are specifically for duels (Stance of Clarity, for example).

Draz74
2008-03-01, 04:50 PM
Two Full Attack Actions at level 20 is likely to drop anyone, really (combine it with the Sudden Leap 1st level Tiger Claw boost to get into position, and you have death in 1 round).

Considering the Diamond Mind contender is going to be a Warblade, not a Swordsage, there's no easy way to get Sudden Leap and Time Stands Still both active in the same turn.

(All the Swordsages will be occupied by Swordsage-specific disciplines.)

Xefas
2008-03-01, 05:01 PM
Considering the Diamond Mind contender is going to be a Warblade, not a Swordsage, there's no easy way to get Sudden Leap and Time Stands Still both active in the same turn.

(All the Swordsages will be occupied by Swordsage-specific disciplines.)

Take the feat Martial Study at 1st level to pick up Sudden Leap as a Warblade.

Round 1, use a swift action to jump next to your opponent using Sudden Leap. Full-Round Action to use Time Stands Still. Two Full Attack Actions.

Draz74
2008-03-01, 05:05 PM
Getting Sudden Leap isn't the problem. Warblades have access to Tiger Claw.

Actually there is no problem. My mistake was mis-remembering that Time Stands Still was a boost, and required a swift action to activate before you got your two full attacks. But you don't, so a Warblade can indeed use this combo easily.

Icewalker
2008-03-01, 07:13 PM
A note: White Raven is so screwed.

Yeah, I like Diamond Mind, especially with the possibility of pumping a concentration check to huge levels then hitting for 2x the check. :smallbiggrin:

Azerian Kelimon
2008-03-01, 07:25 PM
Maybe I'm wrong, but Milanda had inferno Blast. Not spamming it over and over against a non fire immune foe is being an idiot, doesn't anyone else think so? I mean, a swordsage using even only 3 good maneuvers will decimate his or her enemies (Example: Use the Shadow Hand boost that grants one turn of invisibility, use Hand of Doom. Wham, Bam, thank you Ma'am!). And WHO doesn't use his super abilities first in a big ole Boss fight?

CockroachTeaParty
2008-03-01, 09:31 PM
Hooray! Glad to see some people are entertained.

Yes, it would have been intelligent for Milanda to spam Inferno Blast, but she would need a full round action to regain it after using Swift Recovery once, and the dwarf's charge attacks closed the gap before she could get away.

This fight was actually a lot less exciting than Shadow Hand vs. Iron Heart. I just finished the battle, and I'll have it up soon.

White Raven is a little on the screwed side, but he is a crusader, and that's got to count for something. Plus, he has some magic items to summon temporary allies.

Azerian Kelimon
2008-03-01, 09:39 PM
To tell the truth, The Desert Wind and Shadow Hand specialists should win EVERY. SINGLE. FIGHT, because of the different attacks, such as the inferno blast and wyrms flame, the different buffs, such as the invisibility power of one shadow hand maneuver, and especially the stances. And ESPECIALLY especially Balance in the Sky, which is pretty much an autowin withotu a wizard to overland flight you.

CockroachTeaParty
2008-03-01, 09:46 PM
It depends on the opponent, really. Sure, they can hover in the sky using ranged attacks, but everyone in the tournament has the ability to fly, mostly through their magic items. I admit I played the Desert Wind master a little foolishly, but the Shadow Hand master was quite the cunning opponent, as shall be seen soon enough.

Roderick_BR
2008-03-01, 10:21 PM
Getting Sudden Leap isn't the problem. Warblades have access to Tiger Claw.

Actually there is no problem. My mistake was mis-remembering that Time Stands Still was a boost, and required a swift action to activate before you got your two full attacks. But you don't, so a Warblade can indeed use this combo easily.
Isn't Time Stands Still an strike? You can't combine it with others strikes in the same round, else you could use it to make 2 attacks with others 9th level maneuvers. A Mountain Tombstone Strike with any of the others maneuvers that deal 100+ points of damage would be devastating.

But yeah, the swordsage missed the chance to start with her most powerful moves, specially moving fast enough to stay out of the dwarf's reach, since his speed was lower. Fun read still.

Can I suggest an half-orc (or pure orc) warblade? That would be fun to pit against the dwarf sometime :smallwink:

Sucrose
2008-03-01, 10:28 PM
Isn't Time Stands Still an strike? You can't combine it with others strikes in the same round, else you could use it to make 2 attacks with others 9th level maneuvers. A Mountain Tombstone Strike with any of the others maneuvers that deal 100+ points of damage would be devastating.

But yeah, the swordsage missed the chance to start with her most powerful moves, specially moving fast enough to stay out of the dwarf's reach, since his speed was lower. Fun read still.

Can I suggest an half-orc (or pure orc) warblade? That would be fun to pit against the dwarf sometime :smallwink:

Yes, Time Stands Still is a strike, but you can use a boost and a strike in the same round. Since Sudden Leap is a boost, he could use it and then a full-round action, like Time Stands Still.

There aren't really rules against using multiple strikes in the same round, anyway; they just work based on the inability of most characters to take multiple standard or full-round actions in one round.

Anyway, I'm watching this simulation with interest; cool thing that you're doing, CockroachTeaParty!

Stycotl
2008-03-01, 11:51 PM
i like this idea a lot. not only for cool fluffy reading, but because it is spawning some ideas for npc's in the future. good job. and well constructed too, i might add.

CockroachTeaParty
2008-03-02, 12:00 AM
The next round is up:
http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=73938

I probably won't have round 3 finished until tomorrow.

Blue Paladin
2008-03-04, 12:58 PM
Frankly, this is terrible. Stone Dragon should have zero chance against this guy. Here's how combat should have gone:

Milanda: Float in air. Deal ranged damage to opponent (probably fire).
Tranal: Is unable to do anything. If he flies (which I note he has no ability to do anyway), a bunch of his Stone Dragon abilities are negated as he loses contact the ground.
Milanda: Float in air. Deal ranged damage to opponent.
Tranal: Do nothing.
*repeat*

It's not necessarily about playing to your own strengths; half the time, it's playing to the opponent's weaknesses. Except for the 3 potions, he can't even heal without hitting his opponent. And with Milanda floating above him out of reach, he can't even do that. Game over.

Grey Paladin
2008-03-04, 02:55 PM
Frankly, this is terrible. Stone Dragon should have zero chance against this guy. Here's how combat should have gone:

Milanda: Float in air. Deal ranged damage to opponent (probably fire).
Tranal: Is unable to do anything. If he flies (which I note he has no ability to do anyway), a bunch of his Stone Dragon abilities are negated as he loses contact the ground.
Milanda: Float in air. Deal ranged damage to opponent.
Tranal: Do nothing.
*repeat*

It's not necessarily about playing to your own strengths; half the time, it's playing to the opponent's weaknesses. Except for the 3 potions, he can't even heal without hitting his opponent. And with Milanda floating above him out of reach, he can't even do that. Game over.
Despite the color of this Paladin's cloak, I completely agree with his statement

Seriously now, you are playing the Swordsage like a Fighter.