That was an awful shot. He could have messed them up with a hit though.

Anyone going to negotiate or is this a war of atrition? I'd say something fun but I can't justify a 07 INT doing anything of the sort without more clearly overwhelming odds.

Well at least they all can't attack at once.
We will have to hold the line now the door is open or retreat.

Lets give it a round or two and see how we fair.
If we are taking too much damage we will retreat and shut the door.

Remember "space required"...
Two long swords (Ronalt & Kalador) makes 6 feet of space needed. A bastard sword takes up another 4 feet, then add on a short sword in Svens off hand (another foot) and, oops, you're digging through the stonework and getting in each others way.
And that doesn't even take into account the fact that most door frames are a little narrower than the corridor they're at the end of.
Of course you could press forward into the room - plenty of space there... :p

Just need a post from Yew and I'll update.

Yes yes! Step forward! Come into the lair!

Sorry about my absence.

My life / work balance got seriously out of alignment for the last couple of weeks.

In reply to Brother Yew (msg # 10):

Life gets like that :(

A post from Sven and I'll update (Iviana is unfortunately indisposed for the foreseeable future). It's going to be a doozy of a round!

So what happens after the TPK? This game seems like it's been going on forever...but I have a feeling that just rolling up new level 1 PCs would be anti-climactic.

It's highly unlikely there'll be a TPK, provided those still on their feet in the coming rounds use their heads and apply the available resources well. The opposition is after all roughly equal in hit dice/levels and the PCs should by now have more magical items even if memorised spells and hit points are running a little low.
Tindo's intended action this round for example is likely to have a BIG impact and provided it can be followed up with appropriate actions, the tide should turn fairly quickly.

Well, ummm, that could have gone a bit, ah, better....
The enemy got a very fast initiative result, handily beating just about everyone, especially the potentially game changing Web spell from Tindo.

A post each from Yew and Sven and we're at the end of another round. No need for Kalador to post this time, but between the efforts of Arek and Iviana he will be back on his feet in time to participate in the next.

The southern door of the short corridor opens northward, into the passageway. Yes it could be closed, but it wouldn't do much good given the party doesn't have the key, there's no bar, and an ogre would take about three seconds to pull it open again dragging anyone trying to hold it closed with it.

It looks like I've had the wrong idea about how a number of pole arms were used. Whilst pikes, long spears and other long thrusting weapons certainly could and were used en masse, halberds, pole axes, bills, etc were used more in the manner of a quarterstaff.
Therefore, Yew isn't going to be able to attack effectively from the second rank.

This is reflected in the rules - look at the length of a halberd (5+ feet) and the space required (again 5 feet). Obviously a lot of swinging around of the weapon as can be seen in the following:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...t=PLDDC11FFDA3DE2F4C

It also explains why the Swiss Halberdiers were so good against other infantry, but without pikes to support them were taken apart by cavalry (see Battle of Arbedo, 1422).

[Private to Kalador:

quote:

Does Kalador still have his sword?

Good question. I'm going to have to say no as he's likely to have let go when he fell over. It's still where he left it though, but that's under the dead ogre at the moment.
Not to worry though, the other ogre is paralysed and there's nothing else able to attack if Kalador chooses to try and recover the sword (although it is going to get crowded by PCs in there very shortly).]

Please keep in mind that those two dead ogres are a significant obstacle in the doorway.

I have a feeling somebody is going to be developing some mental "issues" out of this situation.
But at least Ronalt isn't dead...yet...  :D

Yup.
This is the second time he has been sideswiped with a Hold Person.
Last time he was burnt too.

I wonder if there's some sort of pattern developing here...? :/

Wow.

1 to hit with both weapons... This was supposed to be the '2 attacks with the big sword' round.  I think one of the clerics left a strategic banana peel on purpose.

OUCH. This is really going to tickle... :p

Probably stood in Ronalt's cursed square. whoops.

Pretty much nowhere since Gwythe threw his one and only dagger much earlier in the current combat (see msg 268 & 274).
He could try plucking it from the ogre's shield if a couple of other people get out of his way, or throw the glowing chair leg as a club (after grabbing it from Tindo I think).
Might also want to gather a few more daggers from the werewolves lair after this is resolved - can normally throw two per round.

In reply to The Assistant (msg # 25):

Oops. I used to have a bunch, but I guess I threw them away into the picture.

I will edit to remove that nonsense.

...and completely unheard. Remember the silence spell? :p
The whole combat is deteriorating into a mimed farce! :D

I would suggest everyone carefully reread the last half dozen or so posts. Characters very lives are on the line....
Given that, and the enemies apparent hesitancy to press home their advantage over at least one PC, I'll delay ending the round a bit longer so any alterations/additions to posts you deem necessary can be made.

In the latest map, the far spellcaster is the figure furthest from the group correct? I don't believe Sven or others are in the way.

I'm afraid Yew's action is entirely consistent with what he could actually see, as he didn't have line of sight to Ronalt or the third bugbear around the corner threatening to kill Ronalt. He couldn't hear anything because of the magical silence. He could only see that Sven was down and at the mercy of the bugbear that struck him, so Yew attacked that bugbear. As far as Yew knows Ronalt is gone, probably already dead.

We are faced with a powerful evil enemy. Why would we even consider surrender? Would we have any reason to expect mercy from a group of bugbears, ogres and evil priests? (Thromel did detect evil before we entered this northern room.) Surely the only hope for any of us to survive is to fight our way out, maybe capturing a prisoner along the way who can tell us the way out or how to bypass the spell warding the front doors. If we die in the attempt, well at least we rid the world of a few more evil monsters on the way.