Kingmaker in the Forgotten Realms [IC thread]

[bcool999]

Kuros was too busy keeping the Company on track to forage, but Kuros wasn't worried since he had brought plenty of rations with him. Luckily one of the others managed to find water so Kuros could go to bed with a full waterskin. He set up his bedroll and helped the others set up camp before asking, "So who's on watch tonight?"

[BluesEclipse]

"I'll take the early morning watch - probably best if one of us who can see in the dark takes the night shift, though. I can't shake the feeling that there's something out here besides us, and I'd rather we not get caught off guard." Korlann frowns as he says this, glancing out towards the trees for a moment.

[almondsAndRain]

"I don't sleep, so I can stay up and watch. Though I can't see in the dark. We'll need a fire going." Three looked into the forest around them, after processing Korlann's words. She isn't scared of fighting, but if she didn't notice something sneak into camp one of the others could get hurt. That seemed very likely, actually, considering the ball of light. She regretted telling the group to take the faster route, through the forest. "If you think there is something out there, perhaps it would be best if someone else stayed up too? I could scribe a scroll for tomorrow that way, without having to watch for something hunting us."

[Saintheart]

The Greenbelt, Beyond Emmerock, the Border Kingdoms
Evening, Second of Kythorn, Year of Lightning Storms (1374 DR)

And it was at that moment that Kuros, Dergosh, and Korlann heard the noise. A fair way into the woods back to the east, a hundred feet at least out of the campsite, in a high, piping voice, faint but unmistakeable, the liquid syllables of someone – or something -- casting a spell.

Four yellow flames, fluttering and dancing like torches, appeared around Gakan’s head, and began to circle the catfolk’s ears.

Spoiler

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What do you do?

[almondsAndRain]

Three didn't hear the spell being cast- perhaps she spoke over it- but she can see its effect plainly. Dancing Lights. Just a cantrip. Not usually dangerous, but given the circumstances... The warforged withdrew her crossbow from its holster, and scanned past the trees surrounding the camp, looking for a person to plant a bolt in. She shouted out to the Company, worried about being on the receiving end of an ambush this time. “Weapons out! That spell is harmless, but the rest might not be!”

Spoiler: Mechanics

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Spot roll: (1d20+1)[5]
+1 from her Wisdom modifier, and she probably takes a penalty for having no idea where the spell came from.

[Zombulian]

After returning from foraging, Ruk brings the food he found over to the hulking Dergosh.
"Here, large friend. You need this more than I."

--

Ruk reaches into his sack to grab a flask of acid, "Furious heads of the mother, what is with this place and glowing orbs?!?"

[bcool999]

Kuros brings his weapons to hand after having stowed them for camp setting. He scans the forest towards where he believed the voice that cast the spell came from and shouts, "Who are you and what do you want with us!?"

Spoiler: OOC

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Spot check to look for enemies: (1d20-2)[12]

[Saintheart]

The Greenbelt, Beyond Emmerock, the Border Kingdoms
Evening, Second of Kythorn, Year of Lightning Storms (1374 DR)

Nothing responded to Kuros's angry challenge. Even more maddeningly, he couldn't see anything in the direction from which the spell had been cast; it was all night stillness, though if something was invisible out there and over a hundred feet away it would have been extremely difficult to mark anyway.

Heartbeats of time stretched out into moments. Breaths. Longer. And longer. Still nothing moved except the lights cheerily circumnavigating Gakan's head. Eventually, after about sixty heartbeats or so, the lights winked out just as suddenly as they'd appeared -- most likely the spell reaching its expiry point, Three would have guessed. Insects and frogs continued singing in the night; indeed, they hadn't stopped, even amongst the commotion.

The Company had been standing there for a good three minutes or more before anyone cleared their throat and they slowly began to return to their night-time duties.

But Korlann still had the sensation that they were being watched.

[Mercurion 2]

[slight backpost]

Absently munching on the food Oleg (and the bandits) had provided and staring at the fire, Dergosh looked up when Ruk offered additional food. “Thank you, Ruk, but save it for now. We have plenty from Oleg, but maybe…” he looked thoughtful, “…maybe Greenbelt not want to give up so easily.” He was quiet for a long time, a sure sign he was thinking. Finally he added, “That’s why needed to kill cow. Not right being cooked alive. I think Greenbelt not like if we left cow alive.” He shrugged, unable to articulate his thoughts any more clearly.

Then the lights began flickering his companion’s head. “NO!” Dergosh shouted, scrambling to his feet and reaching for his spears. “We are not letting Gakan be cooked like a cow!”

[BluesEclipse]

Korlann scowls as he looks in the direction that the spell was seemingly cast from. "I don't like this... it seems too much like someone's toying with us."

[almondsAndRain]

"Oh, they definitely were. That spell is completely harmless, and doesn't cost much energy to cast. There was no reason to cast it, other than to let us know that they're nearby." Three shook her head from side to side before looking into the forest. "I don't think I'll be making a scroll tonight. It's too dangerous here for me to take that risk. I'll stay on watch all night. From now on, I'll scribe in the back of my wagon while someone else leads it."

[Saintheart]

The Greenbelt, Beyond Emmerock, the Border Kingdoms
Evening, Second of Kythorn, Year of Lightning Storms (1374 DR)

Someone's toying with us. Korlann's guess triggered Kuros's memory. Disparate things suddenly locked together in the Obah-blessed man's mind: the high, piping voice doing the spellcasting, the Dancing Lights, all in a forest--

There was a flash, a rush of air, and a loud, jolly-sounding WHUMP from the campfire. The clearing suddenly filled with thick grey smoke that burned the nose even fifteen feet away. Three happened to be standing closest to the campfire, disappearing in the sudden cloud of smoke as if she'd been teleported. As the rest of the company stumbled backwards, the warforged walked out of the cloud, brushing fine white dust off her wooden shoulders.
"--and that was a Pyrotechnics spell," she said. The cloud billowed and rapidly rose into the air, dispersing quickly.

And then a small, brassy-sounding click, followed by the sound of leather sliding off horseflesh, and then an apologetic sort of clump as Baghtru's saddle fell off the horse and hit the ground. Even the mean-looking horse managed to look surprised and embarrassed.

Three was not capable of sighing, but made a decent effort at vocalising it. "Open-Close cantrip. Cast on the saddle's buckles."

--and now Kuros was sure.

Spoiler: Kuros

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He was sure mainly because that precise prank had been played on Gerald in the past. There'd been a lot more swearing from his mentor on that occasion. Most likely all three of these spells -- Dancing Lights, Pyrotechnics, and Open/Close -- had been cast by mischievous fey creatures, who often enjoyed engaging in such harmless "fun" with people wandering through woodland areas they tended to inhabit. Said "fun" could last for days at a time, singling out one person after another as the fey competed with one another to see who could pull off the most outrageous pranks.

Dealing with fey pranking, Gerald had smilingly told Kuros (although on reflection Kuros realised that it had been more a case of Gerald speaking through gritted teeth), had one or two approaches.

One was attempting to stay alert and catch one in the act of pulling a prank -- "but I've not been able to pull that off in twenty years", Gerald had said.

Another was that trickster fey could often be befriended with bribes (although fey insisted they were gifts, eschewing the ugly word "bribe"). Bribes Gifts of shiny bits of jewelry, alcohol, sugary food, and potions were particularly appealing to fey, and unsurprisingly items that incorporated cold iron were seen as an insult. Each time a gift was left, a person being tormented by a fey in this manner could ask the fey to stop the pranking, for himself or for others. And whilst nobody ever saw a fey appraise the gifts he was left, it generally was the case that the more valuable the gift, the more likely it was the fey would stop the silliness.

[almondsAndRain]

“Right, then. They are definitely toying with us.” Three continued to dust herself as she kept well away from the fire, in case of another Pyrotechnics. She glanced around the camp cautiously. “That last spell can't be used from too far away. They're close.”
She was nervous about the situation, and needed that feeling to fade. Against her better judgment, the warforged stepped closer to the fire and watched the flames dance, distracting her for a moment and giving her a chance to gather her thoughts.
She didn't know what was going on here, but she knew magic, and felt that she could make a judgment call based off of the magic she had seen over the last few minutes. Remembering what she'd learned reading the Magic Item Compendium and talking shop with Reda, Three estimated the caster's minimum magical skill and tried to put together a motive behind their behavior.
The majority of spellcasters can only cast Open from twenty-five feet away. However, the caster has used Pyrotechnics, meaning they have a maximum range of at least thirty feet. Regardless, they have access to magic stronger than anyone in the Company. Additionally, spells of Pyrotechnics' power can easily kill me outright, and I am not dead. Pyrotechnics itself can be used to blind foes, and I am not blind. If the caster were hostile, they are close enough to attack us and have magic powerful enough to kill or incapacitate us. They are not hostile, because we would be dead if they were.
Three broke away from her thoughts and looked up at the party. She spoke slowly, as if she herself was not sure of her conclusions, “I... don't believe we're in danger here. They could have done a lot worse than covered me in smoke, with a spell that cost just as much energy as Pyrotechnics.” The warforged still gripped her crossbow, and glanced over her shoulder for any sign of magic. “Still, we can't deal with this all night. Anyone have any ideas?”

[bcool999]

Kuros sighs as he recalls what they are dealing with and says to the others, "I think we are dealing with a some manner of fey having fun at our expense. According to Master Gerald, the only way to get them to stop is to catch them in the act, which would most likely keep us up all night with nothing to show for it, or we can offer them 'gifts' and ask that they end their fun. Apparently gifts of shiny things, liquor, sweets, or potions are customary, but Cold Iron is considered taboo."

[Mercurion 2]

I have gift for them right here Dergosh thought to himself, rubbing his thumb on the razor tip of one of his spears with a snarl on his face. But he stayed uncharacteristically silent...this was what he meant by 'the Greenbelt', as he tried to explain earlier, none too effectively.

Wolftooth clan would bend the Greenbelt to their will, but not just yet.

[BluesEclipse]

"I see..." Korlann comments, his frown deepening at Kuros's words. "I don't have much to offer, but if they are only going to be taunting us, it comes down to a question of discipline. And I believe Master Dalryn would have words for me if I let something so juvenile get to me..."

[Saintheart]

The Greenbelt, Beyond Emmerock, the Border Kingdoms
Evening, Second of Kythorn, Year of Lightning Storms (1374 DR)

“Well,” said Ruk, his reptilian features creasing in a toothy grin, “if it’s sweets they want...”
He began rummaging through the small sack he’d carried with him, passing over small, dark bottles and shrivelled-looking bits of plants. Eventually he found it: a small pouch of green felt that he untied and carefully laid out on the back of Three’s cart. There was a spread of a white, crystalline powder in the middle of the green felt, faintly glowing in the campfire’s light.

Korlann blinked; those white crystals were fairly rare even on a trading hub like Xin Jubei; shipments of the stuff back to Shou were guarded like gold. “Is that sugar?”
Ruk’s grin grew wider. “Quite. Doesn’t do much for folk like me, I’d normally use it for rather more practical means. Rather Svetlana’s moon radish stew any day. Be patient, my fine fey friends,” he said, raising his voice to the night-soaked woods around them, “If gifts you want, gifts you shall have.”

It took the kobold a good forty minutes or so, all the while fussing and frowning over a small, bubbling pot into which he’d poured the sugar, a little bottle of syrup, and some coloured water. But the time passed quietly enough, and when it was done, he emptied them out onto the small green felt cloth: twenty little sugary rocks, boiled sweets, variously coloured in Tiamat’s shades: green, blue, red, dark purple as to black, and a translucent milky colour that might have been white.

The kobold looked over at Kuros. “Is there some kind of ritual to how you offer these up?”
The silverbrow scratched his head and shrugged at the same time. “Not really. Just that you let them take it without being seen.”
Three plucked one of Oleg’s potions from her bag. “You might as well add this to it. No offence to your cooking, Ruk.”
Kuros nodded, gathering up the offerings. “Well … here goes nothing.” He walked a little way off behind a wanderwood, setting the potion and the candies down on the felt cloth.

“These are for you,” he said, raising his eyes to the silent branches of the watching trees. “We’re not your enemies and we don’t want to hurt you. We’d like it if you could stop bothering us.”
There was no response, not that he’d really anticipated one. He walked back to rejoin the others.

They waited a while, going about their evening business, but encouragingly, nothing happened. Kuros went back behind the tree again a few minutes later, to find the felt cloth empty and the potion bottle gone. Korlann’s feeling of being watched slowly faded, though there was still something there. Eventually, apart from Three, they all turned in for the night and went to sleep.

The night passed in silence.

Almost.

Three was vigilant. It was not the first night she had stood a watch, and she was created with a tireless nature. Like almost no other being, she could accurately circumnavigate the same route around the perimeter of the camp down to the inch, surveill the full 360 degrees of approaches around them. But it was also the first time she’d ever truly been in a thick forest like this, having to process all the small movements of branches, small forest creatures, and the leaves themselves, sorting the significant from the insignificant.

Gakan, who picked up the predawn watch after relieving Korlann, might have had only one eye, but he had extremely good ears and a suspicious nature. And he’d been warned about how dangerous the Greenbelt could actually be. But neither had he spent a lot of time in the wilderness, and despite the danger, even after this morning’s scare, it somehow didn’t all seem entirely real yet.

The shambler took advantage of this. It had not been created, but its kind had evolved, mutated, grown over eons to mimic the natural sounds of the forest and the marsh, to shift its chaotic form ever-so-precisely so a movement of one of its gigantic, rotting arms would look like nothing but a branch shifting in an unseen breeze. By virtue of its dreadful powers, it had killed many over the years.

And in common with many that it had killed over the years, it was almost on them all when Gakan finally realised what it was.

Spoiler

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For interest, Three’s Listen and Spot checks came out at 2 and 6. Gakan’s were 13 and 10. Shambling Mounds get scary bonuses in their natural environments, but even then the damn thing’s Move Silently check came back at 26, and its Hide check at 18.

Also, Gakan pulled a 21 on his Knowledge (Nature) check so he/all of you are free to go and consult the MM entry on Shambling Mounds if you will -- he knows what it is, which means you all do. Looks like it’s the catfolk’s day for recognising horrible things.

Here’s the map of the situation:

Spoiler: Tactical map

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This time the horses, mules, and cart are all in it.

Initiatve rolls:
Korlann: 1d20+3 – 23
Dergosh: 1d20+10 – 22
Kuros: 1d20+4 – 22
Gakan: 1d20+4 -- 20
Shambling Mound: 1d20+0 -- 18
Three: 1d20+9 – 17
Ruk: 1d20+0 – 13

Huh, Korlann natural-20s his Initative roll.

Gakan and Three can be considered fully equipped, but the rest of you are still prone in your bedrolls. You can take it that the surprise round is over and that everyone’s aware of one another, but until you act this round you are considered flatfooted.

[Mercurion 2]

Roused by the sudden commotion in camp, Dergosh grabbed one of his nearby spears and rolled to his feet. When he figured out what exactly had caused the disturbance, his head jerked back in surprise. He stared at it—and then bellowed an uproarious laugh like an elk in rut.

“HO! GOOD ONE FAERIES! BUT THERE NO SUCH THING AS WALKING PLANT! HA!”

Spoiler

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Dergosh doesn’t think it is real, just the faeries playing another trick. Attempt to disbelieve.

[Saintheart]

Spoiler: Dergosh

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Failed. It's real. :)

[Mercurion 2]

Spoiler

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I had presumed so given the extensive detail you provided re stealth checks and the like, but I thought it was worth a shot. Probably a bit meta on my part, given we are likely to get wiped by a CR 6 creature if it were a straight up fight.

Dergosh frowned and readied his spear. With Gruumsh's holy weapon in hand he feared no bit of ambulatory shrubbery.

[bcool999]

Kuros hops up with a start, and quickly equips himself for battle.

Spoiler: OOC

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Move Action: Stand
Standard Action: Equip all my weapons and shield.

[BluesEclipse]

Korlann quickly springs to his feet, glancing around cautiously, his gaze settling on the plant. "By the mishtai, what is that thing?" He shifts his posture to a more defensive one as he observes the creature.

Spoiler: Actions

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Move: Stand
Standard: Total Defense (brings my AC to 18)

[kjelfalconer]

He bolted.

And for once, it wasn't acting. He had no plan, no way to get out of this, no angle he could try. Sure, they could outrun it, but the caravan was in no shape to move yet, and in a few seconds it'd be too late.

So he ran.

[Zombulian]

Spoiler

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Well Ruk doesn't act until the shambler does so this may not apply.

Ruk wakes up to the sounds of commotion, and the mention of a Shambler.
Panic quickly gripped him. He got up and ran to the treeline.

Spoiler: Rolls

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Ruk makes a Hide check: (1d20+10)[20]

[Saintheart]

The Greenbelt, Beyond Emmerock, the Border Kingdoms
Evening, Second of Kythorn, Year of Lightning Storms (1374 DR)

It seemed as though doom was on its way. Korlann, Kuros, and Dergosh were on their feet. Gakan was running, into the woods, abandoning the fight entirely.

The shambler gave a hiss that sounded like someone having boiling water poured over them. It drew itself to its full, eight-foot height and charged, the earth quaking. Three, caught by surprise, was right in its path.
Pardon me, good saers, said a calm, male, cultured voice in the travellers’ heads. It echoed there as though placed there. If you’d be so kind, would you mind closing your eyes for just a moment?
It was a split-second decision. But either way, they did so.
And there was a loud WHUMP from the campfire, and a flash of light that crashed through even closed eyelids – what Three recognised as the other way the spell Pyrotechnics could be cast. And just as it went off, a screech of rage and pain from the shambler.

The Company opened its eyes. The shambling mound had one armlike appendage slapped over the upper part of its body – presumably its eyes. And less than thirty feet away, a tiny, cat-sized creature stood on the lower limb of a wanderwood, one with the upper body of a young woman and the lower body of a cricket, armed with a tiny longbow. Her laughter sang through the night, and her high, piping voice echoed across the clearing: "Meanie!meanie!meanie!meanie!meanie!"
Thank you, said the calm, cultured voice. And now that that cad of a fellow is blinded, why don’t we invite him to sit down…

The ground beneath the shambler suddenly took on a waxy sheen. The shambler shifted its feet.
And slipped, and fell clean over, falling to the earth with a thunderous crash that shook the earth.

Something appeared, hovering in the air. It was a tiny dragon, with butterfly wings beating so fast as to be blurs to their vision, eyes gleaming merrily in the night.
Beastly fellow, the calm, cultured voice said. Shall we teach him a bit of a lesson, wot?

Spoiler

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So the shambling mound is now blinded and prone (-6 AC, DEX bonus to AC gone, moves half speed, all activities like Spot, fail.) All opponents have total concealment against it (50% miss chance). It’s right on a Grease patch.

Nobody else has been blinded.

The updated map:

Spoiler

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The updated initiative count, with the next action being Three’s:

Zombulian, you can choose another action if you want.

I’ve taken Gakan off the board since he appears to have gone the full withdrawal action and thus is well out of range of … well, anyone.

Initiatve rolls:
Korlann: 1d20+3 – 23
Dergosh: 1d20+10 – 22
Kuros: 1d20+4 – 22
Gakan: 1d20+4 -- 20
Shambling Mound: 1d20+0 -- 18
Laughing fey (Tyg-Titter-Tut) -- 18
Calm, cultured voice (Perlivash) -- 18
Three: 1d20+9 – 17
Ruk: 1d20+0 – 13

[almondsAndRain]

Keeping watch was normally easy. Quiet, too. Usually, that was perfectly fine. It gave Three a lot of time to think, and she was good at entertaining herself with her thoughts. But this was not an easy watch: the forest around the clearing was thick and filled with dangerous creatures, and the group already ran into at least two of them so far. Three tried to push thoughts about the Will o' the Wisp and the Fey out of her mind, because the worry the were causing her was making her job a hard one.
Hard or not, the hours went past without any trouble, even if each one felt like two or even three. After Korlann ended his shift and went to sleep, Three was starting to feel confident that nothing was going to happen. Her nerves had settled, everything seemed fine, and her thoughts started to drift to what kinds of weapons she'd make in the future for her companions, if they stayed together long enough. Maybe Kuros would like a weapon with the Morphing property? He uses a lot of weapons, he probably would.
Before Three could stray too far into her fantasies, the night went to Hell. Gakan saw the giant... plant-thing before she did. At first glance of its large wooden form, Three had thought she was meeting another warforged for the first time. Then she took the rest of it in, and realized how wrong she was: it was an angry eight-foot monstrosity made of leaves, roots, and vines, with no visible head or any other discernible features. It was angry, violent, and liable to kill the Company in a matter of minutes, if not seconds. If Three has a chance to remember this later, she would realize that the terror she felt when seeing this creature was probably what most humans felt when they saw her.
Behind her, the rest of the Company climbed off of the ground and armed themselves, though they wouldn't be able to intervene until after the monster attacked either Gakan or Three. She heard Dergosh question whether the monster was an illusion or not, and she really wished it was. She figured that Gakan wished that as well, because he bolted as soon as he realized what was happening.
Left with only one target, the monster rushed at Three faster than she thought a thing that big could move. This wasn't how she expected to die (that was in a lab, as a result of a failed spell), but at least she would learn exactly what happens to warforged when they die.
But she heard speaking inside of her head, and dropped her crossbow on the ground to cover her eye-holes, as her hallucination directed. A small amount of light from the campfire could pass through her fingers, but for just a moment that light seemed more intense than it should. The monster screamed out in pain, and she could hear more words. Three was happy that she wasn't losing her mind, but even happier that the party pleased the fey earlier.
They wouldn't have long to act- Pyrotechnics has a short duration. She also knew she would have trouble sticking a bolt in the creature if it kept on the floor like that. The warforged ignored her crossbow and slipped into a combat stance. She reached toward the top of her backpack, and grabbed the longspear she kept strapped down. Three yanked her weapon free, then took one good stab at the creature.
Doubting she could survive a smack from those huge vines, Three jumped back a few feet closer to the fire after lunging at the monster. She yelled to her Company and their new fey-allies, “It will only be blind for between ten and thirty seconds! Kill it now!"

Spoiler: Mechanics

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Free Action: Drop crossbow.
Move Action: Draw Longspear
Standard Action: Attack with Longspear
Free Action: Five foot step back, toward the fire.

Longspear attack: (1d20)[16]. Crits on 20, but deals X3.
Longspear crit confirm: (1d20)[14]
Damage: (1d8)[8]
If crit, add this: (2d8)[7]

[BluesEclipse]

At the Shambler's charge, Korlann's eyes narrowed, realizing that Three would be the first target for the creature. Scowling, he tenses, ready to try and get the construct away if possible, before hearing a voice echoing through his head. Closing his eyes at the voice's request, he registers a flare of brightness, followed by a screech from the beast. As the fey and the dragon appear, and the plant-beast falls to the ground, he watches as Three strikes with their spear, before calling the group to action. "Got it," he replies as he darts forward, leaping into the air slightly before bringing his leg down in a slashing axe kick, the spines on the back of the appendage unfurled to tear at his foe.

Spoiler: Actions

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Charge at the Shambling Mound
Hit: (1d20+6)[22]
Damage: (1d6+4)[7]

[Saintheart]

Spoiler

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Those will both be hits, though rolling for crit confirmation isn't necessary since the plant type is immune to criticals. On the other hand, it's vulnerable to sneak attack damage since it's denied DEX bonus to AC.

EDIT: Though I still have to see how its AoO goes against Korlann, even if it does so at fairly substantial negatives...

[bcool999]

Kuros drops the javelin he had grabbed when he had planned to attack from a distance, he instead grabs his gladius as he advances on the enemy. After passing by Three as it retreats, Kuros sends his longsword slashing at the creature with a two handed swing.

Spoiler: OOC

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Move action to move to M36, making sure that I am equipped with my Hammer, Longsword, Shield, and Gladius as I do so.
Standard action to slash with Longsword: (1d20+6)[19] Damage: (1d8+7)[15] Slashing

Also, aren't plants immune to sneak attack because they are immune to crits?

[almondsAndRain]

Spoiler: OOC

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Also, aren't plants immune to sneak attack because they are immune to crits?

Yeah, they are.