Apologies. I just recalled that you were calling the gnoll over (which I allowed, as you were putting arrows in his back), but didn't notice your position.

We'll say Slove was 90-100 feet away from the gnoll in question. So the gnoll (30ft base speed) can't charge, withdraw or double move, but he can still use the run action for up to 120 feet. Which he will, since you called him over. :)

So Slove still has a gnoll next to him, but fortunately the gnoll loses its Dex bonus to AC versus your next attack. (Just realised basic Gnolls don't get high Dex anyway).

While we're at it, Allessandra did get an AoO, which now I think about it (she doesn't have a sheet yet) actually did hit - and knocked out the gnoll anyway.

Huh.

Okay, never mind that gnoll. I'll go edit my post.

HP reduction done!

As this is open area Can Slove move back 20ft and fire his arrows at gnoll without provoking an attack of opportunity?

Ok forget that:-
The last gnoll warrior sprinted off after the other pesky elf who'd been putting arrows in his back. But this left the delicate priestess at his back. The gnoll hardly thought her worth worrying about, but immediately regretted it when she buried her mace in the back of his skull. The gnoll dropped like a ton of bricks, whimpering over a bruised head and ego.

go priestess go
This message was last edited by the player at 16:38, Tue 22 Apr 2008.

Thanks for all the good thoughts and support. I have returned, and will be posting soon. The babies are indeed doing well, they are getting top notch care at a childrens hospital and the level of technology is astounding. Even the little guy who had abdominal surgery is recovering like a champ. The other one is a serious chowhound, 45 ml of food and he cried for more.

cheers,
b

That's good.

Blimey, I don't think I've ever had critters do this well before. They're doing especially well for a random encounter, and they aren't high above you in level. Just lucky. It's a good thing for you I can't roll d20s above 1 below the threat range.

Let me know what spells you cast. Some of the effects are important.

this is quite the butt kicking.

we really ought to come up with some battleplans pretty quickly. we designate a combat leader and a secondary in the case of silence spells. plan "a" can be "hey, we need some sort of battlefield control that works in our favor, like obscuring mist. won't help in this case, but they got the jump on us and now we need to turn the tide somehow.

Try and take out the shaman by any means possible: glitterdust, grease, web, or brute force :-)
Someone needs to assist Alessandra or the ranger will slice 'n dice her, besides I'm hoping for her to get me back on my feet so I can get close enough to grapple the shaman; wrap my arms around him in a vice-like grip and crush him like would a python.... grrrrrrr (wrestlemaniac roar)

Yeah, the two big gnolls have high ACs and HPs. I recommend more disabling tactics and spells, and thoughtful use of where you direct them.

Of course, it's not the end of the game if you do get defeated by the gnolls. At least, not until their suppertime...

*sighs*  I've been having the worst luck in combat in BadCatMan's games, ever since my Warmage managed to disrupt the spell cast by the near-epic elven lich in Sword Coast South, with a lucky Magic Missile.  :p  I have a feeling we could just skip Iodaem's turns the rest of the combat, and it wouldn't hurt anything. . .

Trying to Curse the shaman wasn't wise. :p

Okay, there's been some confusion. We're still on Round 5, and waiting for Authiel's action. Anyone who's acted since then will have their actions shifted to Round 6 when I update next.

Okay, Slove, Iodaem and Jorn have already acted this round, as they went and did it  last round. Only Allessandra and Authiel can act now.

I need to calculate my current HP before posting any more actions.

And there you go. Well done! That was a close-run thing, until you started working together better and turned your fortunes around at the end.

I gave the XP out, but I'll let you decide how you respond to the fleeing gnoll ranger. The result, I'm guessing, a foregone conclusion...

Was there a problem with my handling of the battle? Updating events in the middle of the round meant less work-load for me (like a few PC resolutions and an NPC action, instead of making time to account for everything at once), but it seemed to confuse you, with folks acting before their time. Should I have made it clearer?

Let me know if you have any other complaints, criticisms, ideas, or whatnot for my DMing style.

All this time, and we still haven't actually gotten to the published adventure yet.   Partly due to the early hassles, and PC introductions, and random encounters, and efforts to bring everyone together on the mission. I was almost ready to abandon the whole thing and start an 'escape from the gnolls' plotline when it looked like they would win. Once you're ready, I'll speed things along to the stone circle.

Or, in Iodaem's case, did nothing at all that could qualify as 'useful' through the whole encounter.  :p  Lousy fear-spells. . .  at least they're not as bad as Confusion-spells, though.  :p


And, the mid-round updates were a bit confusing, yeah - this last update, I had no idea if I was supposed to post yet or not, so I ended up delaying in the hopes that you'd clarify it after Allesandra had posted.  *shrugs*

I had strangely enough not any trouble following the flow of battle. Could perhaps help with a: round# at the top of the post?

I didn't have any significant issues either, but i think a round # at the top would help.

also, when you recap actions, what i've seen in the past is the msg # in parens so we know that actions were acknowledged.

edit: round #s would help, sorry.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:35, Sun 04 May 2008.

Level up!

Thanks for the advice. I'll try to remember to implement it.

And if you level up, you may do so, just let me know what you change.

Hi all - sorry I been away for 4 days - been married now a year so had take wife away.

In answer to the combat.  I could follow the combat but it was little confusing.
May I suggest that if you update half way through say 3 people have posted (Allessandra, Jorn Slove) and you deal with the actions they made.  Then you put a colour make on the next person that need to act.

This way player will know if there action are already do this round, waiting other players to post or have to post themselves.
It mean just by looking at Initiative if has not colour on it you know beginning of the round.  If has colour it half way thought.

Does that make sense?

Round 6:

Gnoll Ranger is in melee with Iodaem. Everyone else is wherever they want to be.

Initiative:

22 - Gnoll Shaman
19 - Allessandra
19 - Jorn
12 - Slove
<r>11 - Gurgun</r>
11 - Gnoll Ranger
 7 - Authiel
 7 - Iodaem
 5 - Gnolls


Iodaem - bows.
I have to say the best composite longbow need to go to Slove.
Also any magic arrows that good.
On any other magic I happy for anybody else to have first go.
At the moment I have +1 Might Composite (+2).
So +3 would be better.
I would be happy to give my bow to someone else if get better bow.

The reason I say this is as you have all seen from last combat.  Slove main way of attack is bow and he really good at it so this area he should come first.
On the other side I happy to let other have magic items before Slove.
Again this open to general agreement with everybody.
However the better slove's bow and arrows are the better the group in in combat.
Slove only close if has to with melee and with feat I have taken this meen he be using bow and running around enermy unless GM prevent it (which I sure he will now and again).

Wouldn't a +1 Composite Longbow [+2 STR] be better than a Masterwork (I'm assuming that's what BCM meant by 'well-made') Composite Longbow [+3], though?  The damage output is exactly the same (d8+3, assuming you have a strength of 16 or higher), but the one you've already got can bypass DR/Magic, which this new one presumably can't do.  Of course, if you really want this new one, I'd be happy to take your +1 bow off your hands, no problem.  :p

It depends on what is is.
Well made means at is at least a MC longbow.
All magic longbows have to be well made so until someone cast detect magic and then someone else work out how good it is we not know.

Happy anniversary! (a bit belatedly)

BadCatMan, I didn't have any real problems adapting once I figured out what you were doing.

I've tried that style a few times and I always seem to end up waiting for one player or having people waiting for me, if I'm playing.

You're the boss here.  I'll adjust to whatever style you like.

I doubt we'll be picking up much magic loot off a random encounter, though.  :p

You'd be surprised. :) All from NPC write-ups or treasure table and hardly fudged. Well, apart from the pearl.

I'm never sure how much info to let slip related to looted items and whether or not they are magical or simple masterwork. But I guess most adventurers have an eye for a good weapon or armour, and an archery-focused elf like Slove would know his bows.  Some items I say are masterwork (mw) may turn out to be magical, but they might not be.

Congrats Slove. :)

Once we can get to a defensible spot, or camp for the night, Jorn can always cast Detect Magic on stuff too.