- Location
- Russia
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Age of Ice and Blood: A Pathfinder System Heroic Fantasy Quest
- Thread starter DragonParadox
- Start date
- Original Fantasy
-
- Tags
- pathfinder open voting
Vote closed.
Arc 12 Post 43: Wall of Steel
Wall of Steel
Third Day of Elnu-Hamba (Elnu Descendent), 1349 A. L. (After Landfall)
This is not time for the forging of shield walls, you realize at once. The enemy fights with no concern for their own befouled lives, terror as much their weapon as the great bronze blades they bear. Now of all times is the time for men to show boldness and match spear against shield and sword against accursed arms. Now is the hour... Spearmen to the front, net bearers to the back, you order, as much as your voice can carry in the din of pain and rage and the the dreadful calls of the enemy born still in all too human tongues:
"He is come!"
"Breaker of Kings and Lord of the Land!"
Blood flows freely, theirs and yours, and on this day there is no gentle hand of healing, no Zaia rushing from one warrior to the next to give succor in the midst of the battle, there is only such skill as these days have wrought in you all and such will that might resist the foulness of the Anjo Oru. You see Peter fallen on one knee from a blow to the head that would have been his end but for the helm he wears. You see Jean with his arm all red as his name, hanging limply from his side and bashing a creature in the face.
There are now arrows coming overhead, the foe is too close. Shoulder to shoulder with Tom you herd one of them back as he calls out to his king, or perhaps to the darkness that burrows in his flesh for salvation. Durenal claims an arm and the black spear that had already tasted the death of a dragon sinks under the ribs.
"All is for Him, all the islands! All the World!" the foe screams and the scream become a shriek that echoes in your bones, leeching the life from your limbs not with a roar like fire or a crack like thunder, but with a dreadful silence that seems to engulf all the field of battle.
As you stagger back you see that others are not so lucky as you Jean now lies face down in the dirt and John is staring at a hand twisted and withered such that he cannot bear a sword. Mark had a bit more luck pinning one of the things down and letting it be speared to death by Aubert. Alas the battle is not over, the men of Korman, the thralls to Obari's lies come charging into lines they must hope are disordered. cracked by the hammer blow
They are not, some had fallen in the fight and many more had been wounded, but the terror which they must have hoped would break the hosts of House Torag and of their own fellow Kormani had instead given them the heart to fight on. Nothing is more dangerous than a beast at bay, that much every hunter knows and it is clear that in this fight under the cold fog no quarter is asked or given and with the sea lapping at your heels there is nowhere to run.
There are more of them than there are of you, you realize as you raise a shield against that looks to be a workman's hammer reconsecrated to war, they do not fight with the skill of long experience, but with the zeal and the fury of those assured victory. They shall not have it.
Even the lines of your allies buckle and men rush to fill the gaps, you see the red of Jean's hair again and you are heartened. Someone had gotten to him with healing. On you fight, arms growing tired and numb as you try to find the gaps in the enemy's armor, the places where their shields fall, each of you trampling back and forth over the bodies of the damned. A distant part of you wonders why they had not put the things in the line instead of having them charge over the cliff, but for now there is no time for anything but the dreadful rhythm of war, of trying to gouge the men... and in one case the woman who stood before you.
You would like to say that you hesitated to strike down a woman even for a moment, but your eyes were on the three pronged spear in her hand and little else... foremost in your thoughts was the fact that she would have less leverage... just there. She dies, like the five who had come before her and this time there is no one to replace her. Thus you charge and beside you charges Silver whose sheer armored bulk is enough to for a wedge for the warriors after you. Darun with his hammer follows after you and Tom with his black spear and like the turning of the tides the enemy starts to flee.
Now comes most of the killing, you think with the grim knowledge of everyone who has ever seen a field of battle, but do you dare pursue without knowing that happened at sea or what foes might await you if you follow?
14 Healing potions used
All fellowship soldiers at more than half health
Roland at 27/37 HP
[] Pursue, you have the chance to end a good portion of the enemy's force before they can rally
[] Stand steady, the fog and the broken ground makes it too dangerous. If you could break them once you can break them again
[] Write in
OOC: I did not do round by round for this one since there was a lot of back and forth grinding, shield wall tactics are like that.
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Odd question, but didn't we use to have 40hp before? We seem to roll for hp, so I'm not sure, but I have an odd feeling that we at least got past the thirties.
(10+4d10 (5d10 Hit Die, PC Privileges)+5 (Con) +0-4 (Favoured Class, unsure of hp distribution vs skill points)= 37-41 on average.)
(Our entire party has fairly middling hp rolls. That's luck for you.)
And more relevantly, can Roland use his sense motive and general chivalric experience to try and sense if his opponents are legitimately panicked and routing, or are they too inhuman and/or situation too chaotic to predict?
Edit: That's a significant amount of peoples we personally slew. Damn.
(10+4d10 (5d10 Hit Die, PC Privileges)+5 (Con) +0-4 (Favoured Class, unsure of hp distribution vs skill points)= 37-41 on average.)
(Our entire party has fairly middling hp rolls. That's luck for you.)
And more relevantly, can Roland use his sense motive and general chivalric experience to try and sense if his opponents are legitimately panicked and routing, or are they too inhuman and/or situation too chaotic to predict?
Edit: That's a significant amount of peoples we personally slew. Damn.
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Goldfish
Friendly Spider-Fish Abomination
- Location
- Formerly of the Far Realm
Whew, land battle worked out fairly well, now I can direct my anxiety toward the battle at sea. /fingers crossed!
I don't think we should pursue. If all of our own men needed healing to the point we used 14 CLW potions there are probably a lot of others among our forces who are seriously injured. And everyone is exhausted, which isn't a good state to be in when you're pursuing enemies, let alone fighting them. Especially if we run into fresh troops.
We also need to be ready to support our naval forces.
[X] Stand steady, the fog and the broken ground makes it too dangerous. If you could break them once you can break them again
I don't think we should pursue. If all of our own men needed healing to the point we used 14 CLW potions there are probably a lot of others among our forces who are seriously injured. And everyone is exhausted, which isn't a good state to be in when you're pursuing enemies, let alone fighting them. Especially if we run into fresh troops.
We also need to be ready to support our naval forces.
[X] Stand steady, the fog and the broken ground makes it too dangerous. If you could break them once you can break them again
We likely have some fresher troops still from the rear ranks/ areas that weren't confronted with the dozen murderous ghouls- shieldwalls are packed very deep, normally. If Roland thinks they're actively panicked I would argue to pursue, though not to outrun our infantry support; the people who escape today will come back to kill us tomorrow, and if there is a fresh force waiting we can burn some magic to cover our retreat, which real people definitely could not do.
If he can't tell, though, I wouldn't risk it. We've carved through enough superhuman monsters today.
Keep in mind your damage looks like this:
1d8+3+1d6; Critical: 17-20/x2 Slashing
That means that you have a 15% chance to do 20 odd damage. That is enough to one shot most warriors.
- Location
- Texas
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[x] Stand steady, the fog and the broken ground makes it too dangerous. If you could break them once you can break them again
Goldfish
Friendly Spider-Fish Abomination
- Location
- Formerly of the Far Realm
We probably do have some fresher troops (I hope so, at least), but chances are most of them are not dedicated warriors, since the experienced combatants would have been at the front, maintaining the shield wall and directly fighting. The freshest troops are probably the poorly armed and virtually untrained levies, and even then they're probably exhausted from a day or marching, stress of combat, etc.
It's all assumptions on my part, or course, but I would hate to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory by over extending ourselves here.
I'm largely concerned for tomorrow, personally. A pursuit could mean significantly more warriors slain, captured or scattered, which means significantly less warriors facing us tomorrow. A risk today, while we hold the advantage and any ambush would need to push through their own men to attack us, seems a lot more palatable to me than more warriors tomorrow when the demons start deploying increasingly dangerous threats.
Of course, that's only if they do seem stricken with panic, fear, general malaise, etc.
Of course, that's only if they do seem stricken with panic, fear, general malaise, etc.
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Snowfire
Polyglot of Chimera
- Location
- Wordcats
Yeah, Flaming made us scary as hell.
I would say reform the lines and let the archers down those they can. We need to know how the sea battle went.
- Location
- Germany
Too foggy for archers, they were already noted as useless last update.
Snowfire
Polyglot of Chimera
- Location
- Wordcats
They were useless because the enemy was too close. Volleying into the mist as the enemy run will kill people
Not quite, the issue was the fog yes, but also the fact that the rest of the host was engaged in melee and they did not have the feats to shoot safely into that. As is if you withdraw the archers will get one shot with cover (so 20% miss chance) and one shot with full cover (50% miss chance) at longer range. That will kill a few of them, counting all the Anwari with some kind of range option, but it is unlikely to make a major impact in their ability to rally and come at you later.
It is also worth nothing these were the warriors who charged after the daemon possessed people.... odds are they are quite dedicated to the fight.
Goldfish
Friendly Spider-Fish Abomination
- Location
- Formerly of the Far Realm
Someone could always get a lucky shot and Crit an arrow into a spine or heart. 💘
Can we assume archers take the opportunity to fire, or do we need to specify it in the vote?
Ok now, vote closed, let's see how the fight went on the sea
Arc 12 interlude 5: Makers of Marvels
Makers of Marvels
Third Day of Elnu-Hamba (Elnu Descendent), 1349 A. L. (After Landfall)
It was not the first time Esha asked herself what by all the Nine Circles of Being she was doing here, it would not be the last either. Once more to war, once more to the call of the of the horns. She could not even claim to have taken the safest path of those before her, nor to have seen to guarding by her arts those who had earned her trust and companionship. I could have spoken up and chosen to stay ashore, she thought as the ship was hauled back into the water, as the rowers began to push it again out to sea to face the foe... But she had not. following instead their heart of another.
A small hand slipped into hers, the gesture drawing the eye and the mind to the child beside her. A slip of a girl wielding half understood powers not her own, a pawn in the contentions of the Powers... and one of the bravest people Esha had yet known. She would have thought it easy to be brave in the service of death, after all one would be under the same hand on both sides of the veil, but it was rather hard to maintain that glib judgement in the face of the living breathing Inge of Korman, her eyes bright, her face alight with so many feeling they seemed almost to burst out. Worry and fear, yes, but also anticipation as she looked to the horizon and anger at the daemons who had taken her kin.
"Be careful," Esha said feeling unaccountably awkward for one who usually found her words so easily. "A healer after the battle is worth more than ten battle mages in the midst of it."
"When have you seen ten battle mages?" the child asked suspiciously.
"I didn't, it's an expression," she admitted.
"Well it's not a very good one then is it?" the child asked looking her in the eye. "If you had ten wizards fit for battle, why then no man would dare fight you at all."
"Not in the islands mayhap, but in the Great Lands to the south where the Priest King's yet rule there are said to be thousands of thousands of folk born of the rich lands of the Golden Gulf and among those multitudes many are born under the Moon, some who seek out their gift alone and others which are found by the priesthood." Again Esha hesitated. She was not used to talking to children even after all this time. Or perhaps it was better to say that I am not wholly used to any company or lasting worth, she thought wryly. "The gods are vast and their plans many, another will come if we fail now, but if you fall that is the end of Inge who is more than a servant of Ikomi."
"You said her name," the girl says surprised, but also Esha noted not answering one way or the other to what she had been advised.
Perhaps she has learned something from me... "I think that she is already watching, no sense in trying to hide behind twists of the tongue."
As the great bulk of the Marcella seemed to materialize before them the prow of the longship horns were heard from the north, the enemy was near and there was little time left for planning how they would aid in the battle
Choose one in Every category
[] [Zaia] Battlefield Healing on the crew
[] [Zaia] Use Fire Bombs on the enemy ships
[] [Zaia] Use poison to try to weaken any champions in the enemy ranks
[] [Zaia] Write in
[] [Inge] Battlefield healing
[] [Inge] Offensive magic, including direct damage and webs
[] [Inge] Make use of seabirds to ensure the various ships will be able to keep in contact
[] [Inge] Write in
[] [Esha] Use most of her spells to enchant the weapons of the Anwa against foes that bronze alone cannot cut
[] [Esha] Make use of enchantments and curses
[] [Esha]Use the Staff to deliver unerring death
OOC: I did not want to make this a play by play battle again, especially as Roland is not here, but by the same token I want to give you guys some agency as to how the mages are deployed so I am testing out a more big picture approach for these kind of interlude battles.
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- Location
- Germany
[X] [Zaia] Use Fire Bombs on the enemy ships
Raw damage is why we made him a Fire Bomber, not some regular Alchemist. He can heal well after the battle, but now I want to see the bombs go.
[X] [Inge] Make use of seabirds to ensure the various ships will be able to keep in contact
Fog of war and literal fog make this a bad situation, but unless the enemy has far more assets than we expect, we outnumber them here on the sea.
As long as we can coordinate well enough to use those numbers we will win, if we fail to do so ships might break off and flee, which can loose the battle.
[X] [Esha] Look around for inhuman foes, if it looks like there's a need for magic weapons enchant them. If it looks like mostly mortal foes make use of enchantments and curses instead
Raw damage is why we made him a Fire Bomber, not some regular Alchemist. He can heal well after the battle, but now I want to see the bombs go.
[X] [Inge] Make use of seabirds to ensure the various ships will be able to keep in contact
Fog of war and literal fog make this a bad situation, but unless the enemy has far more assets than we expect, we outnumber them here on the sea.
As long as we can coordinate well enough to use those numbers we will win, if we fail to do so ships might break off and flee, which can loose the battle.
[X] [Esha] Look around for inhuman foes, if it looks like there's a need for magic weapons enchant them. If it looks like mostly mortal foes make use of enchantments and curses instead
Goldfish
Friendly Spider-Fish Abomination
- Location
- Formerly of the Far Realm
Esha has the right of it. Inge or Zaia providing battlefield healing is not necessarily the best use of their talents at the moment, or the safest.
@Artemis1992, it might help if Inge could try to coordinate using her birds, but I don't think that is likely to work. Passing messages in this manner during peace time is difficult and time consuming, doing it while there is fighting going on sounds like wasted effort to me.
[X] [Zaia] Use Fire Bombs on the enemy ships
-[X] When his Fire Bombs are expended, Zaia will largely try to avoid combat, falling back on his other Alchemical creations if necessary, but will instead focus on helping with healing.
-[X] He will use his Bomber's Eye extract before combat, along with a Shield extract if he still has one available.
[X] [Inge] Offensive magic, primary Webs, then providing healing and good fortune using her Hexes.
-[X] Once her Web spells are exhausted, Inge will try to conserve her remaining 1st level spell slots for CLW spells in case they are needed for injured allies who cannot benefit from her Healing Hex again or who have injuries too great for the Hex alone.
-[X] Before combat, she will cast Mage Armor on herself and Zaia.
[X] [Esha] Make use of enchantments and curses, saving her Blindness spells for especially troublesome foes, especially Daemons or other supernatural enemies.
-[X] She will also use her staff judiciously, casting Magic Missiles where her curses fail or after they are expended.
-[X] Before combat, she will cast Mage Armor on herself and use her staff to cast Shield.
[X] Antonio will task a group of non-combatant sailors to assist the wounded in need of immediate healing with reaching Inge and Zaia once they transition to providing healing rather than focusing on offense, so the pair can avoid the thick of combat.
@Artemis1992, it might help if Inge could try to coordinate using her birds, but I don't think that is likely to work. Passing messages in this manner during peace time is difficult and time consuming, doing it while there is fighting going on sounds like wasted effort to me.
[X] [Zaia] Use Fire Bombs on the enemy ships
-[X] When his Fire Bombs are expended, Zaia will largely try to avoid combat, falling back on his other Alchemical creations if necessary, but will instead focus on helping with healing.
-[X] He will use his Bomber's Eye extract before combat, along with a Shield extract if he still has one available.
[X] [Inge] Offensive magic, primary Webs, then providing healing and good fortune using her Hexes.
-[X] Once her Web spells are exhausted, Inge will try to conserve her remaining 1st level spell slots for CLW spells in case they are needed for injured allies who cannot benefit from her Healing Hex again or who have injuries too great for the Hex alone.
-[X] Before combat, she will cast Mage Armor on herself and Zaia.
[X] [Esha] Make use of enchantments and curses, saving her Blindness spells for especially troublesome foes, especially Daemons or other supernatural enemies.
-[X] She will also use her staff judiciously, casting Magic Missiles where her curses fail or after they are expended.
-[X] Before combat, she will cast Mage Armor on herself and use her staff to cast Shield.
[X] Antonio will task a group of non-combatant sailors to assist the wounded in need of immediate healing with reaching Inge and Zaia once they transition to providing healing rather than focusing on offense, so the pair can avoid the thick of combat.