*... probably the watercress,* the young magician concludes.

[OOC:  DM Solo, you have a Will save to roll; Zar'Da, I think it's your turn now.]

OOC: I was waiting to see if Gareth killed the crab before acting.

OOC:  Oh...  No, Garath is focusing on debuffing the crab (and buffing you once you become visible), so that you can finish off the crab.

OOC: Will failed.

HUFFPUFFHUFFPUFF

Round 17:
  [Move] Double move to R21

Status:
  Initiative: 7
  AC (Touch AC): 22(13)

  Damage Taken: 30 (53L+7NL-23healed)
  Damage Dealt: 54(E1), 14(C1)

Effects:

 Draconic Aura: Energy Shield: Attackers take 4 points of acid damage if attacking with a non reach melee weapon or natural weapon.

 Enlarge:  Zar'Da's space and reach increase to 10'.  +2 to Strength (affects to-hit and damage), -2 to Dex (affects AC), -1 size penalty to attack rolls and AC, increase in weapon damage due to size, +4 on trip, grapple, etc.  EXPIRED!

 Invisible: 22rounds


Final Position: R21

The blinded, and now about to be very unlucky, crab rotates around its spot, snapping its claws, but with now real way of understanding or getting out of this mess.

Round 17:
  [Move]
  [Free] Rotate about, snap angrily with claws
  [Standard]

Status:
  Initiative: 6
  AC (Touch AC): 19 (11)

  Damage Taken:   42
  Damage Dealt:   0

Effects: Blinded

Final position: RS 16/17

OOC:  Zar'Da, you might as well go ahead and attack the poor critter.  I can't buff you until I see you anyway.

Zar'Da stood and watched the crab, it's legs shuffling about, claws gnashing at nothing, and the drowkin felt sorry for the creature. With a heavy heart the Shaman slid forward, his feet kicking up a little dust as he moved forward with his sword out to the side and shield leveled. A second before he struck the amulet that hung around his neck flared and time seemed to slow for Zar'Da, allowing him to see an opening in the crabs defense. With a mighty stab forward the sword slipped between the natural armor plating the creature had, the drow becoming visible as he retracted his sword.

Round 18:
  [Move] Move 15' to R18
  [Swift] Activate Heartseeker Amulet: Melee attack becomes touch attack
  [Standard] Attack with sword(touch attack): 29, Damage: 14

Status:
  Initiative: 7
  AC (Touch AC): 22(13)

  Damage Taken: 30 (53L+7NL-23healed)
  Damage Dealt: 54(E1), 14(C1), 14(C2)

Effects:

 Draconic Aura: Energy Shield: Attackers take 4 points of acid damage if attacking with a non reach melee weapon or natural weapon.

 Enlarge:  Zar'Da's space and reach increase to 10'.  +2 to Strength (affects to-hit and damage), -2 to Dex (affects AC), -1 size penalty to attack rolls and AC, increase in weapon damage due to size, +4 on trip, grapple, etc.  EXPIRED!

 Invisible: Expired due to attack


Final Position: R18
This message was last edited by the player at 20:09, Mon 17 June 2013.

Delighted to see Zar'Da rejoining the fray, Garath mutters an incantation and flings some shavings of a sort of root in the drowkin's direction.  The shaman senses the world slowing down around him...  and realizes that he has just been sped up significantly by the Cormyrean mage.

Round 18:
  [Standard] Cast Haste on Zar'Da (and himself)
  [Move] Move to M20, 25' up

Haste: 7 rounds; +1 on attack rolls, +1 to AC and Reflex saves.  When making a full attack, gain one additional attack at highest bonus.
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/haste.htm

Status:
  Initiative: 7
  AC (Touch AC): 26 (15)

  Damage Taken:   0
  Damage Dealt:   42 to crab 1, 42 to crab 2, 8 to ettin 1, 75 to ettin 2

Effects:
Alter Self
Mage Armor
Shield
Haste

Final Position: M20, 25' up

While still blinded, the crab instincively reacts to the sword strike, snapping back with its claws. The first claw scrapes against the shield, while the other come in from the side and would likely have caught the dragon shaman if his reactions hadn't been magically enhanced.

Round 18:
  [Move]
  [Free]
  [Standard] Full attack (19, 22) miss

Status:
  Initiative: 6
  AC (Touch AC): 19 (11)

  Damage Taken:   56
  Damage Dealt:   0

Effects: Blinded

Final position: RS 16/17
This message was last edited by the GM at 07:35, Tue 18 June 2013.

[OOC:  Don't worry Zar'Da, the crab never got close to hitting you - if it had rolled 23, it would still have had to roll a second attack roll (and hit again) and then roll two 50% miss chances (and hit both times) before it could land a hit on you.]

With Zar'Da back in full action, the mage busies himself with greasing the frying pan the ground on which the crab stands.  A small bit of dried guanciale - nothing but the best! - goes into the casting, and an appetizing aroma of bacon fat accompanies the layer of grease that spreads under the crab.  "Go get him!" the scholar shouts encouragement to his fighting comrade.

Round 19:
  [Standard] Cast Grease on the crab
  [Move] -

Grease:  Reflex save DC 19 or fall flat.
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/grease.htm

Status:
  Initiative: 7
  AC (Touch AC): 26 (15)

  Damage Taken:   0
  Damage Dealt:   42 to crab 1, 42 to crab 2, 8 to ettin 1, 75 to ettin 2

Effects:
Alter Self
Mage Armor
Shield
Haste

Final Position: M20, 25' up

The Shaman countered the creature by activating the amulet again, sliding his sword into the same opening as before but with a little less effectiveness. His second attack also found it's mark thanks to the poor creature being blinded and prone.

Round 19:
  [Swift] Activate Heartseeker Amulet: Melee attack becomes touch attack
  [Full]Attack #1(Touch Attack): 14(HIT), Damage: 6
        Attack #2: 16(HIT), Damage: 6

Status:
  Initiative: 7
  AC (Touch AC): 22(13)

  Damage Taken: 30 (53L+7NL-23healed)
  Damage Dealt: 54(E1), 14(C1), 26(C2)

Effects:

 Draconic Aura: Energy Shield: Attackers take 4 points of acid damage if attacking with a non reach melee weapon or natural weapon.

 Enlarge:  Zar'Da's space and reach increase to 10'.  +2 to Strength (affects to-hit and damage), -2 to Dex (affects AC), -1 size penalty to attack rolls and AC, increase in weapon damage due to size, +4 on trip, grapple, etc.  EXPIRED!

 Invisible: Expired due to attack

 Haste: 7 rounds; +1 on attack rolls, +1 to AC and Reflex saves.  When making a full attack, gain one additional attack at highest bonus.


Final Position: R18
This message was last edited by the player at 10:02, Tue 18 June 2013.

OOC: With the crab being blinded and prone your second attack hits as well.

OOC: I edited my post. Of course I would roll two 1's when rolling damage :/

Doesn't matter, you get to do what you had to anyway!

The crab, under the effect of bad luck, is finally killed as Zar'Da's swift swordstrikes penetrates the chitinuous armor again and again.

Well done!

As the creature finally succumbs to the damage it had taken Zar'Da breaths a sigh of relief.
"Well done Gareth." the drowkin yells up to the floating mephit.

The winged wizard floats down, and lands on little bowlegged feet next to the drowkin.  Grinning, he looks up at the dragon shaman.  "Well, you were the one to slug it out toe-to-toe with them, I just did what I could from a distance..."

A multi-colored shimmering envelops the mephit, and quickly fades to reveal a blond-haired human teenager, still wearing the slightly goofy grin.  He punches Zar'Da lightly in the shoulder.  "I am famished!  Shall we go eat?"

OOC:  Good fight.  Very effective mix of opponents, DM Solo.  The crabs were speedy enough to make it difficult to stay near the ground anywhere in the arena, and the ettins' ranged attacks made it perilous to get too high above the ground (and the cover of the stone walls).  The combination put Garath on the defensive long enough to put Zar'Da in a very tactically difficult situation (and burned through almost all of his abrupt jaunts for the day).

Question for both of you:  What could Garath have done to support Zar'Da better?  I'm trying to develop Garath as a battle-supporter, not a blaster, and I don't think I did a great job of that here.  Should I have focused earlier on buffing Zar'Da more rather than throwing webs and glitterdusts at the enemy?

Thanks! Yeah the crabs are (in)famously under-CR'd: you can googe That Damn Crab for some giggles.

The javelin throwing ettin I was quite proud of, thinking about putting that one in a game of mine at one point. Perfect two weapon fighting, power attack, brutal throw (use STR for attack rolls), power throw. And still one feat to spare...

The web and glitterdust spells are brutally effective in normal play, but with Garath's jacked up save DC's even more so. Haste would likely have been more useful earlier on as it would have helped Zar'Da cover more ground, and get an advantage against his hard-hitting enemies (it also offsets the defensive disadvantage of getting Large).

I agree about the Haste a little earlier but all in all, from my seat, Gareth did just fine. He supported when needed and covered Zar'Da when needed.

Once this combat is duly wrapped up and posted to the annals, Zar'Da, would you be interested in another bout against different opponents?  DM Solo, would you have time / inclination to set up another fight?

Sure, but not before mid-august.

I think I'm going to take a break from the arena for a little while but thanks. Good match BTW.

The mage looks around, but the battlefield is entirely still, only the soft burbling of the river breaking the silence.  He absently rubs his chest - even after a fair deal of recent practice, flying for more than a few moments still leaves him with muscle-aches in that area.

He stretches; he yawns.  He is hungry and ready to be transported to the arena's lounge area for a hard-earned seafood dinner.

Sorry for the wait: XP awarded!

The young scholar nods gratefully to the invisible powers of the arena as he feels the magick of transportation begin to enfold him.  And then the enchantment takes hold, and the Wheloonite's figure vanishes from the field...