Any spell. This wasn't how it always was, but I've changed how it works since then. If it allows for spell creation, it will say it in the description.
Dunno if it's still current, but at some point there was a distinction between dodge-ward, and shield-ward. If you're immobilized, you don't get the dodge ward. I imagine most Ulgu approaches would fall under that (though turning into shadow/fog to let the attack pass might not).
A ward save in the tabletop rules is any protection that isn't reduced by how hard the blow is. Dodging would qualify. If you learn Shroud of Invisibility and use it in battle it would probably be represented by a ward save.
(this might not be how it is in AoS or later versions, but I'm sticking with the mechanics I grew up with)
As far as tabletop stats go, fully-buffed Mathilde is approximately more tanky (or approximately as tanky, at very least) than literal tanks. Not going to bother you with stream-of-consciousness notes, to kill her in combat it takes an absolute bazillion rounds of combat and zillion of attacks per round to get through her Terror save, then WS save, then Toughness Save, Armor Save and then Ward save.
Then whoever managed to get through all that needs to make that happen six more times. All these layers of defense get pretty absurd.
The issue is that pretty much half of all that is dependand on pre-cast self-buff spells with strict time limits+other limitations, so Mathilde going "Full Tank" mode is comparatively rare. But even without optionall buffs she is still WS4 T5 W3+4 which is not absurd, but quite respectable. As in, more durable than trolls, minotaurs, ogres, etc.
The takeaway is that Mathilde is not fragile at all, so you really don't need to worry about accidentally dying from a stray bullet or some such nonsense. Or a bunch of goblins in numbers less than hundreds of them.
As far as plans to make her more tanky go, learning Ritual Casting and rising Magick score to 8 are probably the best cost/effectiveness ways to go. First provides unspecified but WoG "Dramatic" improvement to spells cast in such a manner, second would significantly Aetheric armor and Shadow Steed's ward saves.
But I see a pretty strong argument to go for the improved offense/utility spells in all that, to be honest. Invisibility and Mass Confuse would've make our job here significantly easier, for example.
As far as tabletop stats go, fully-buffed Mathilde is approximately more tanky (or approximately as tanky, at very least) than literal tanks. Not going to bother you with stream-of-consciousness notes, to kill her in combat it takes an absolute bazillion rounds of combat and zillion of attacks per round to get through her Terror save, then WS save, then Toughness Save, Armor Save and then Ward save.
Then whoever managed to get through all that needs to make that happen six more times. All that gets pretty absurd.
The issue is that pretty much half of all that is dependand on pre-cast self-buff spells with strict time limits+other limitations, so Mathilde going "Full Tank" mode is comparatively rare.
The takeaway is that Mathilde is not fragile at all, so you really don't need to worry about accidentally dying from a stray bullet or some such nonsense. Even without optionall buffs she is still WS4 T5 W3+4 which is not absurd, but quite respectable. As in, more durable than trolls, minotaurs, ogres, etc.
As far as plans to make her more tanky go, learning Ritual Casting and rising Magick score to 8 are probably the best cost/effectiveness ways to go. First provides unspecified but WoG "Dramatic" improvement to spells cast in such a manner, second would significantly Aetheric armor and Shadow Steed's ward saves.
But I see a pretty strong argument to go for the improved offense/utility spells in all that, to be honest. Invisibility and Mass Confuse would've make our job here significantly easier, for example.
Personally I am in favor of increasing our general offensive capabilities either by giving her more spell options or improving our skills/equipment. Since if we can get better offense it means we can more easily kill someone before they manage to cut through out defenses.
[X] Plan Murderbeast Distraction
-[X] Sabotage the defences...
-- [X] By unleashing whatever is under this floor upon the greenskins above it.
-[X] Slip out...
-- [X] By walking out while they're otherwise distracted. (note: ensure your plan includes an otherwise distraction)
Looking at the enormous section of wooden flooring, you can almost see the thought process of whichever greenskin designed it. A Skaven assassin, or a skulker from a rival tribe, or anyone else that might be sneaking around here would see the bolt throwers ready to fire and the goblins gathered obligingly before them, and they would scamper towards them with all speed and be assaulted from below. Possibly a secondary purpose too: if attacked from the outside by a force they could not handle, the Goblins would flee out side passages or along the stone sections nearest the wall, and the pursuers would gleefully charge forwards and run over the covered pit. And if the Goblins forgot and ran over the pit, who cares? These were normal Goblins, who were very clearly lower in the local pecking order than Night Goblins.
You could see some megalomaniacal Night Goblin Boss ordering the excavation of the pit and the construction of the covering, chortling with glee and imagining the shock and horror on the face of whoever it caught as an enormous clawed hand smashed through the floor and pulled them down. Should any of their underlings have the common sense to be able to spot the flaws, they either kept it to themselves out of spite or were punished for daring to question their superior. Or perhaps they merely never cared about possible consequences. If a particularly stupid or drunk Goblin walks over the trap, the others would likely consider that hilarious, rather than a tragic accident.
Whatever their exact thoughts, you feel absolutely sure their plans never accounted for you.
You take a few steps further back from the bonfires and towards where the shadows were deepest, and let Shadowcloak disperse before reforming Ulgu into a much trickier spell. Substance of Shadow was not just difficult in the sense of the complexity of the spell, but in the strange and counter-intuitive rules it followed. The incorporeality it granted was conditional and confusing, and the consequences of the spell being broken while the caster was halfway through something were as unpredictable as they were gruesome. But for now you didn't need that - just the invisibility.
[Teasing the beast: Intrigue, Breakpoints 40/80, 92+17=109.]
The wood groans a protest as your Move spell shoves it downward, and a moment later the wood explodes upwards in a shower of splinters as whatever is underneath punches at the motion. Shouts of alarm ring from the mass of Goblins as a second magical shove triggers a second violent reaction, and you use Sound to simulate the scampering footfalls of something just barely evading the grasp of the beast. A third impact, and a voice is rising over the babbling from the Goblins as one of them takes charge, and shouting fills the adjoining tunnels as messages are passed along. By the time Goblins rush back into the hall with armfuls of pikes and long torches, the floor is half in ruins and roars of frustrations are echoing from at least a dozen throats as your teasing drives them into a frenzy.
[Growing infuriation: Intrigue vs Diplomacy, 86+17+20(previous crit)=123 vs 91+5=96]
The braver or more ambitious Goblins line the stone and you shrink back against the wall as a flaming torch draws near to you, but the danger passes as it is jabbed down into the hole beneath. The torch illuminates the extremely upset face of a Stone Troll, which roars in annoyance as the flame jabs it in the face, an action repeated all over the room as Goblins attempt to dissuade the Trolls from their rampage. The Troll nearest you grabs at the torch scorching his face and the Goblin lets go just in time to have kept its balance, but your foot applied at speed to its rear sends it toppling into the pit. Seconds later the crunch of bone adds a new note to the chorus of shouting, and that one of them is momentarily distracted by its meal only serves to drive the others into greater action. This seems to inspire the greenskins, and a dozen different fights break out as 'volunteers' are sought to sate the hunger of the Trolls. The first of these is thrown in by two others, and is grabbed in a stony fist before it hits the ground. The other Trolls settle down, staring avidly upwards and waiting for their own meal. You momentarily wonder how many such meals would have taken place to have penetrated through the stupidity of the Trolls, and then you put those thoughts aside as you decide how best to shatter this newfound peace. A few seconds later, your Magic Dart nails a Troll directly in the nose. It howls in outrage, and responds by punching the Troll next to it in the stomach.
The two brawling Trolls cause the Goblins to once more pick up their sticks to try to separate them, which only infuriates the others who were waiting for meals, and their grasping hands are met by the crude clubs and knives of Goblins at risk of being eaten. This is the last straw, and the terrible and unmistakable sound of a puking Troll fills the air, and a geyser of stomach acid shoots upwards and several Goblins caught in the stream scream in agony. Two massive hands grip the edge of the pit, and the first of the Trolls begins to haul itself up and out with the Goblins nearest it too distracted by their melting flesh to interrupt. Yells turn to screams as whichever of the Goblins that was nominally in charge of the situation loses control of it completely, and more begin to haul themselves out. Their empty spaces are filled by smaller Trolls, ones who evidently lost the argument below to be nearest the action, and Goblins begin to scatter as the Troll riot turns into a full-fledged exodus.
[Recasting: Learning, Req 40, 20+20=40.]
[Goblin spot check: 66+10-30(very distracted)=26]
[Shove your way through the crowd: Martial 25+19=44 vs 77+10=87]
[First strike: Martial, 46+19=65 vs 94+10=104]
[Follow up: Martial, 79+19-10(sucker punched) vs 41+10-20(hit twice as hard)]
It's into this chaos that you begin to run, trying and failing to cast Doppelganger before you get close enough to the bonfires to break Substance of Shadow, but it seems none of the greenskins decide the glimpse they catch of you before the spell takes hold is more important than the rampaging Trolls. But though there is no organized resistance against you, the confused snarl of panicking Goblins provides plenty of disorganized resistance, and one in particular objects enough to your shove to return it with one of his own, greenskin animosity compelling him to instantly respond by punching the offending party in the face. Beneath the illusion this corresponds to your stomach, and the sucker punch drives the wind from you. Under his fist, a Dwarvish rune retaliates and the goblin doubles up in agony, and as soon as you've recovered enough to move your fist connects with his face. The Goblin evidently lacks both illusion and runic reprisals, and he disappears into the press of Goblins and is immediately trampled underfoot.
[Continue through the crowd: Martial: 18+19=37 vs 16+10=26]
With the first fistfight you've had in thirteen years over, you wade through the crowd once more and make your way to the wooden gate. Several Goblins have had the same idea, and you wait impatiently as the three ahead of you each squeeze through the point where the shoddily-made doors meet. As you squeeze through, you're forced to shove aside the one that was ahead of you, who froze stock-still directly ahead of you. The reason is very quickly obvious, as you look down a row of way too many Dwarven crossbows pointed directly at your sternum. Lying sprawled on the stone in front of you are the previous Goblin escapees, riddled with bolts.
[Think fast: Martial, 67+19+10(Brave)=96.]
Your illusory self is unarmed, so lifting your hands seems to an observer like an act of surrender. This buys you half a second. Your actual self is far from it, and you draw your greatsword and swing it through the neck of the Goblin next to you. This buys you two seconds as the Rangers attempt to make sense of one Goblin apparently decapitating another with an invisible sword. Ulgu disperses at your extremely hurried urging, and your true form reasserts itself, and though the crossbows don't lower, fingers ease slightly away from triggers. "I was warned something like this might happen," one says, who you recognize as Ulthar. "Lass, which of us killed more greenskins in the courtyard at Und-Uzgar?"
You relax slightly. "They were already dead when we got there. I killed all the Skaven in the courtyard of Und-Uzgar, all the rest were killed inside."
"Right you are." He barks something in Khazalid, and the Rangers shift their crossbows slightly so they're still pointed at the gates, but not at you specifically. You gladly take the opportunity to shift out of the line of fire, and behind you there's a series of soft, fleshy thunks as another Goblin squeezes through the Gates and near-instantly meets his fate. "Vanguard's about half an hour from us," Ulthar reports. "We came ahead to finish off the catapults, just in case they got lucky." Sure enough, the secondary peak is still, with the crews and would-be ammunition of the Doom Diver catapults scattered about and sporting newly-acquired crossbow bolts, and trudging up the stairs towards you is the Karag Lhune invasion force, headed by the Vanguard.
You take a moment to gather your thoughts and fully recover from the sucker-punch, and will shortly make your way down to meet the Vanguard, make your report to Belegar, and decide what further part you'll play in this day's events.
[ ] Report: Decide the information you've got to pass on to Belegar. Dot points would be fine. You can include your own achievements.
What will you be doing?
[ ] Storming the Gates with the Vanguard.
- [ ] Belegar and Clan Angrund
- [ ] The Slayers
- [ ] Skaroki Grimbrow and the Thunderers
[ ] Holding the King's Gates with the rearguard.
- [ ] Grand Master Ruprecht Wulfhart and the Winter Wolves.
- [ ] Ulthar Alriksson and the Dwarf Rangers.
[ ] Standing in reserve to respond to reinforce wherever needed.
[ ] Serving as Kragg the Grim's bodyguard as he unseals the Armoury, the Temple of Grungni, and the Hall of Oaths.
[ ] Riding to join the demigryph knights as they obliterate any attempt to cut off the attacking force from the East Gate.
[ ] Returning to the East Gate to help repulse any counterattack.
[ ] Returning to the East Gate to rest. You've done your part.
[ ] Other (write in)
- If you decide to be part of this attack, by the time you return to Belegar and make your way back up, there'll be enough accumulated corpses to recharge your Seed of Regrowth, and you'll automatically do so.
Personally I am in favor of increasing our general offensive capabilities either by giving her more spell options or improving our skills/equipment. Since if we can get better offense it means we can more easily kill someone before they manage to cut through out defenses.
That looks like the natural conclusion to me, yes.
As far as our equipment goes, swapping honestly rather mediocre and redundant Torc of Fire for a top-tier dorf amulet would be great. Same goes for weapon slots. Our old greatsword served us well, but a runed Greataxe or a magical greatsword of lesser quality (dwarfs, urgh) would serve us better.
As far as ranged offense goes, Shadow Knives is absolutely top tier due to scaling with our pretty high Magic stat and armor-ignoring properties.
Learning ritual casting has potential to dramatically improve pretty much all our spells.
And if we speak about stuff we can't pick up immediately but would be neat to get eventually, so some sort of a more reliable AoE damage spell than Burning Shadows would be great. A fireball or a cloudkill equivalent.
From the Spellbook:
"Ritual Casting: A spell can be cast as a ritual, taking more time, effort, and concentration than normal and increasing the risk of it going wrong. If it succeeds, then the effects of the spell are increased dramatically. For instance, ritually casting Marsh Lights would effectively produce a hovering light comparable to a bonfire."
Of course we could have done better, but better in this situation is "pretty much singlehandedly fucked up Goblin defenses through the whole Peak" tbh and would've required dice god to provide us with pretty absurd amount of luck.
Well, yes. I apologize if it came off as if I was saying it just straight up passively improves everything, but these last posts were getting pretty verbose and I was... trying to cut them down a bit.
From the Spellbook:
"Ritual Casting: A spell can be cast as a ritual, taking more time, effort, and concentration than normal and increasing the risk of it going wrong. If it succeeds, then the effects of the spell are increased dramatically. For instance, ritually casting Marsh Lights would effectively produce a hovering light comparable to a bonfire."
Their artillery was disabled and gates are not going to have any organized defense going on, which means dorfs get to penetrate deeply into Karak with pretty much zero meaningful resistance.
They got to just walk in and start cleaning the house, pretty much.
[X] Report: Scouting went as well as could be expected, and I took the liberty of indulging in some sabotage while I was at it. You've already seen my work on the goblin launchers, but I also managed to confirm the Hall of Oaths remained sealed, and got eyes inside the Hall of the Moon. Things there were... Troubling--the Crooked Moon Goblins seem to have an alliance of convenience with at least one group of Skaven, and had prepared a large number of some kind of rat beasts for us. I took the liberty of putting a bullet in the Goblin commander's skull while wearing the illusion of being a Skaven--and the warpstone the Goblin had for teeth blew up when I shot him and wounded the Skaven he was negotating with as an added bonus--but things were a bit too hot to stay put and confirm more than the start of infighting--all I can tell you is that the Goblins there are significantly faster and more determined than they probably should be, and it's something that should be taken into account. Beyond that? I made my way to the King's Gates to see if there was anything I could do to ease the approach, found they had a nasty trap prepared in the form of a false floor with a herd of trolls hidden beneath just past their bolt throwers. I took the liberty of releasing the trolls on them, and they were in the middle of a nasty riot by the time I made good my escape.
Their artillery was disabled and gates are not going to have any organized defense going on, which means dorfs get to penetrate deeply into Karak with pretty much zero meaningful resistance.
They got to just walk in and start cleaning the house, pretty much.
[X] Report: Scouting went as well as could be expected, and I took the liberty of indulging in some sabotage while I was at it. You've already seen my work on the goblin launchers, but I also managed to get eyes inside the Hall of the Moon. Things there were... Troubling--the Crooked Moon Goblins seem to have an alliance of convenience with at least one group of Skaven, and had prepared a large number of some kind of rat beasts for us. I took the liberty of putting a bullet in the Goblin commander's skull while wearing the illusion of being a Skaven--and the warpstone the Goblin had for teeth blew up when I shot him and wounded the Skaven he was negotating with as an added bonus--but things were a bit too hot to stay put and confirm more than the start of infighting--all I can tell you is that the Goblins there are significantly faster and more determined than they probably should be, and it's something that should be taken into account. Beyond that? I made my way to the King's Gates to see if there was anything I could do to ease the approach, found they had a nasty trap prepared in the form of a false floor with a herd of trolls hidden beneath just past their bolt throwers. I took the liberty of releasing the trolls on them, and they were in the middle of a nasty riot by the time I made good my escape.
You could see some megalomaniacal Night Goblin Boss ordering the excavation of the pit and the construction of the covering, chortling with glee and imagining the shock and horror on the face of whoever it caught as an enormous clawed hand smashed through the floor and pulled them down.
Right, looks like we have another spell to research, and unlike most other things I advocate this one almost certainly wouldn't get Witch Hunters sent after us.
[X] Report: Scouting went as well as could be expected, and I took the liberty of indulging in some sabotage while I was at it. You've already seen my work on the goblin launchers, but I also managed to confirm the Hall of Oaths remained sealed, and got eyes inside the Hall of the Moon. Things there were... Troubling--the Crooked Moon Goblins seem to have an alliance of convenience with at least one group of Skaven, and had prepared a large number of some kind of rat beasts for us. I took the liberty of putting a bullet in the Goblin commander's skull while wearing the illusion of being a Skaven--and the warpstone the Goblin had for teeth blew up when I shot him and wounded the Skaven he was negotating with as an added bonus--but things were a bit too hot to stay put and confirm more than the start of infighting--all I can tell you is that the Goblins there are significantly faster and more determined than they probably should be, and it's something that should be taken into account. Beyond that? I made my way to the King's Gates to see if there was anything I could do to ease the approach, found they had a nasty trap prepared in the form of a false floor with a herd of trolls hidden beneath just past their bolt throwers. I took the liberty of releasing the trolls on them, and they were in the middle of a nasty riot by the time I made good my escape.
[X] Serving as Kragg the Grim's bodyguard as he unseals the Armoury, the Temple of Grungni, and the Hall of Oaths.
Choosing to accompany Kragg mostly out of sheer curiosity and to be there to protect him from any threats that we didn't scout.
