Tristram starts in A.

Nalia starts in B.

Enjoy the fight - Hajime!

Tristram materialises in the arena, takes a look around and crouches low to scoop up a handful of sand. Rubbing it in his palms he nods approvingly. For death or glory, sorceress! he calls out before uncoiling the spiked chain.

Prep Round 1:
  [Free]
  [Move] scoop up some sand
  [Standard]

Prep Round 2:
  [Free]
  [Move]
  [Standard] ready chain

Status:
  Initiative: 15
  AC (Touch AC): 18 (13)

  Damage Taken: 0
  Damage Dealt: 0

Effects: Bulwark of defence (threatened squares treated as difficult terrain)

Final position: A09

Nalia entered the arena and raised an eyebrow when Tristram scooped up the sand, she wondered whether he wanted to use it to blind her or to improve the grip on his exotic weapon. The martial training she had received told her to watch this weapon, to stay out of its range. She drew a wand and cast a spell from her memory, followed by a spell from the wand, which she returned to its sheath.

Prep Round 1:
  [Free]
  [Move] Draw Wand
  [Standard] Cast "Shield" from memory

Prep Round 2:
  [Free]
  [Standard] Cast 'Fist of Stone' from wand
  [Move] Stow wand

Status:
  Initiative: 16
  AC (Touch AC): 20 (12)

  Damage Taken: 0
  Damage Dealt: 0

Effects:
 - Fist of Stone, 10 rds
 - Shield, 4 mins

Final position: Q09

Round 1: Nalia just moved a little bit until Tristram came into view, tearing her scimitar from its sheath. Relying on her heritage she called forth a burst of fire that streaked towards the knight and impacted harshly...

  [Move] to P11
  [Free] Draw Scimitar as part of movement.
  [Standard] Cast 'Kelgores Fire Bolt' 24pts fire damage, Refl DC14 for half.

Status:
  Initiative: 16
  AC (Touch AC): 20 (12)

  Damage Taken: 0
  Damage Dealt: 0

Effects:
 - Fist of Stone, 10 rds
 - Shield, 4 mins

Final position: P11

Ouch! That burns!

Tristram's metal armor offers him no protection against the magical burning shard sent his way. He steels himself and runs forward, stopping within reach of his opponent.

Round 1:
  [Free]
  [Move] Run to N10
  [Standard]

Status:
  Initiative: 15
  AC (Touch AC): 18 (13)

  Damage Taken: 24
  Damage Dealt: 0

Effects: Bulwark of defence (threatened squares treated as difficult terrain)

Final position: N10

Round 2: The Calashite sorceress watched the knight charging her but stopping barely out of her reach. She knew she was now in a dangerous place, seeing the spiked chain and watching it like one would watch an angered cobra.

_edit: She took a simple step just out of the range of his whirling weapon and reached down for another spell...

ooc: I guess I should be grateful but grateful doesn't win battles ;) - Nalia takes a step OUT of your threatened area, thus no difficult terrain, 5ft step, no AoO. _/edit

  [Move] 5ft step to Q10
  [Free] Draw Scimitar as part of movement.
  [Standard] Cast Kelgore's Fire Bolt 14pts, Refl DC14 for half.

Status:
  Initiative: 16
  AC (Touch AC): 20 (12)

  Damage Taken: 0
  Damage Dealt: 24

Effects:
 - Fist of Stone, 9 rds
 - Shield, 4 mins

Final position: P11
This message was last edited by the player at 13:18, Thu 01 July 2010.

Please note the following re: Mage Slayer feat (which Tristram has taken):
You might want to reconsider your actions since Nalia is aware that she can't cast defensively.

ooc: Sounds like my lucky day. - I'll change my action then.

You can't 5' step in difficult terrain... well you can, but it's a full round action and provokes AoO.

ooc: I can't WITHIN difficult terrain or INTO but out of d.t. you get scott free. The description says: "an opponent that begins its turn in your threatened area treats all the squares you threaten as difficult terrain." Nalia is moving into a square which you don't threaten and thus isn't considered difficult terrain. You always pay movement cost for the square you enter, not the one you leave, thus she pays 5ft movement = a 5ft step. - That's my reasoning.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:17, Thu 01 July 2010.

This time Tristram times his movement better and he avoids the worst of the damage before making an attack of his own. The chain whips out but the sorceress has no trouble dodging it.

Round 2:
  [Free]Reflex save (14), half damage.
  [Move] 5' to O10
  [Standard] Attack (14) miss.

Status:
  Initiative: 15
  AC (Touch AC): 18 (13)

  Damage Taken: 31
  Damage Dealt: 0

Effects: Bulwark of defence (threatened squares treated as difficult terrain), Knights challenge (+1 to attack & damage), forgot to add that in round 1.

Final position: O10
This message was last edited by the player at 14:22, Thu 01 July 2010.

Round 3: Nalia's eyes narrow when Tristram once again closes in but carefully avoids the range of her melee weapon. Was that the honorable fight he sought? The challenge he had issued sounded like he looked for honor, not a fight where his oponent could not reach him. "Are you afraid of my blade, Akami?" she asked then stepped forth, risking an attack but lashing out as well


  [Move] to P10
  [Free] no 5ft step - you get an AoO.
  [Standard] Attack 20. Damage 8pts.

Status:
  Initiative: 16
  AC (Touch AC): 20 (12)

  Damage Taken: 0
  Damage Dealt: 39

Effects:
 - Fist of Stone, 8 rds
 - Shield, 4 mins

Final position: P10
This message was last edited by the player at 15:10, Thu 01 July 2010.

OOC: Tristram uses his Stand Still feat to try and prevent you from moving
AoO: 26, hit. Damage 7. This means the reflex save DC is 17 to avoid being locked in place. Let's sort this out before I type my normal actions (if any).

ooc: Reflex 9, fail. Stopped. Since this happened during movement, I'll change my standard action for obvious reasons :)

Round 3: Nalia's eyes narrow when Tristram once again closes in but carefully avoids the range of her melee weapon. Was that the honorable fight he sought? The challenge he had issued sounded like he looked for honor, not a fight where his oponent could not reach him. "Are you afraid of my blade, Akami?" she asked then tried to close in, however her oponent indeed seemed to be scared of her blade, even if it wasn't even magicked and snapped his spiked chain to stop her.

Frustrated the knight was keeping her at a distance, she activated the amulet she wore around her neck. A pale orange shimmer surrounded it and as it slowly faded away a large monstrous scorpio came into being, striking out at Tristram.

  [Move] to P10
  [Free] no 5ft step - you get an AoO.
  [Standard] Activate Amber amulet of Vermin (Large monstrous scorpio)
             _{Thanks to Garath for finding this one}

<Scorpio>
  [Move] Appears in N/O 08/09
  [Stats] AC 16/9.
  [Standard] Full attack: Claw 1 - 17, miss. Claw 2 - 19, damage 6pts. Free grapple check 16. Sting 14, miss.


Status:
  Initiative: 16
  AC (Touch AC): 20 (12)

  Damage Taken: 0
  Damage Dealt: 37

Effects:
 - Fist of Stone, 8 rds
 - Shield, 4 mins

Final position: P11

0 HP, fight over.

Wha! was all Tristram managed to say before the vermin held him in his pincers. Struggling for air his body finally went limp, the chain slipping from his hand.

That was quick, but after that first KFB, and me bungling my first move there was very little I could do. After the next level through Tristram should be more balanced offence vs defence. Right now he's mostly the latter.

Your build is a very mean one, it reminds me of Garath's spell combos. You practically immobilize your opponent then hurt him from a safe distance. That's pretty smart. I hadn't wanted to draw the scorpio-joker but you had her nailed and I didn't want you to use the chain to trip her :)

I need to work on Nalia's AC but she is still a fresh character, the only thing she got during her adventure was a magic sleepsack. *sighs*

I tinkered with the spiked chain a while back but realized I liked the sorcerer more. Nalia's concept is more the 'a good offence is the best defence' type ;)

Yet, part from being a knight he's almost all core, and the mage slayer feat could easily be exhanged for something worse. I just thought it went well with the character.

For Nalia I went with the 'Arabian Nights' theme, powers of the djinn and efreeti, scimitar and a scorpio. I felt that all suited her theme so well. Next level(s) I'll have her take sculpt spell, burning hands and fireball, which will make her even more versatile.

Tristram is inspired by Maximus from "Gladiator". A noble knight held captive and excelling at gladiator combat. The chain is somewhat cheesy but is needed for the concept to be effective. Add enlarge person and you have an awsome battlefield controller. My hope is Tristram will work well in a team, especially with spellcasters.

There's a belt in MIC that allows you to use Enlarge Person once per day, could be an option for Tristram, and I agree with the increased reach of his weapon. You may consider Deft Opportunist that grants +4 attack for AoOs but you will also need something to increase your strength. You could go for touch attacks to trip the opponent then get an AoO when they want to get up AND +4 from deft opportunist, in case you have an opponent with extremely heavy armor. Besides if you stand adjacent, you also get the bonus for a prone target...

As I said: It is a mean combo with lots of options to make it even meaner :D

Perhaps Nalia and Tristram could team up against a monster?

Sounds like fun, but will have to wait until after summer.