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A Sword Without a Hilt: A Song of Ice and Fire/D&D 3.5 Crossover

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Adhoc vote count started by Goldfish on Aug 5, 2020 at 4:22 PM, finished with 19 posts and 8 votes.
  • [X] The battle on the right flank where dead steeds run on void-black hooves
    -[X] 3rd Legion (Brightscales) Colonel coordinating via their General's Anchor.
    [X] The battle on the right flank where dead steeds run on void-black hooves
    -[X] Legion Colonel coordinating via their General's Anchor.
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Interlude DCCCLVI: Battle of Smith's Sorrows, Part Four
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    • Battle of Smith's Sorrows, Part Four​

    Twenty-Third of the Second Month 294 AC

    War used to be a simple thing, Innero thought as he watched the colors flow like water, like desert sand, like crimson sunlight from his anchor. Men marched where they were ordered and fought who their officers commanded them. The foolish marched for banners with some pretty lie emblazoned upon it, for lords who didn't give a rat's ass for them, the clever sold their blood for coin. That was why he had gotten into the Brightscales for a beginning, because it looked like steady money in a world where the usual wars to line a sellsword's pockets were drying up. Yet the longer he stayed the higher he climbed and the more he cared.

    When he got his soldier's anchor he barely cared save for the fact that the little pebble was somehow worth its weight in gold, when he got his officer's anchor he was proud of his company and eager to see them prove themselves. Now here he was a colonel and part of him would have given anything to keep his Legion out of harm's way, though he knew he couldn't do that, nor were they really his Legion. What was it that bloody book said again? 'The best generals are the ones who love their soldiers, but you have to kill that which you love.'

    Fucking philosophers.

    He watched as the darkenbeasts came in for another pass, dropping bombs in the wake of the skyships. Their breath didn't do anything to the dead, but the twenty tiny suns sure did. The horses were fragile, they were supposed to be, little more than bombs themselves.

    Trouble was that the rifts were even, like taking bites out of the foe one circle at a time before the army realigned itself, barely seeming to stop the charge. "Grave arrows now!" he snapped, too distracted to watch his tone with the Sisters of Battle. "Heralds hit the left, I want it to ragged to take a counter-charge!"

    Soon fire was added to the golden radiance and gravestone arrows rained down, each one a small 'rebellion' in the making though the Fallen didn't aim for the drivers or even the warriors behind them. They aimed for the horses.

    The soft whisper of the mind dragon's thoughts at the back of his mind completed the picture his anchor painted. A fifth of the enemy had fallen and those that remained had finally slowed. Any normal army, any mortal army at this point would be breaking, but the dead of Sarnath had nothing to lose and the rage of their bloody corpse-god to drive them forward.

    It would come to a clash, either deploying their bright barriers anchored on the stone walls they had hastily shaped and hunkering down for the first blast, or deploying the cavalry in a counter-charge around the enemy flank to try to disrupt the formation further and hopefully allow more of them to be blasted apart by launchers, darkenbeasts and skyships

    What does the colonel do?

    [] Hunker down behind the barriers through the first charge before ordering the counter-charge

    [] Order the cavalry to charge at once, risking of some of the cavalry being caught in the blast is better than contact all along the line

    [] Write in

    OOC: Barely got this out its 1:30 AM for me. Hope I didn't mess anything up.
     
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    • DragonParadox said:
    Battle of Smith's Sorrows, Part Four​

    Twenty-Third of the Second Month 294 AC

    War used to be a simple thing, Innero thought as he watched the colors flow like water, like desert sand, like crimson sunlight from his anchor. Men marched where they were ordered and fought who their officers commanded them. The foolish marched for banners with some pretty lie emblazoned upon it, for lords who didn't give a rat's ass about them, and the clever sold their blood for coin. That was why he had gotten into the Brightscales for a beginning, because it looked like steady money in a world where the usual wars to line a sellsword's pockets were drying up. Yet the longer he stayed and the higher he climbed, the more he cared.

    When he got his soldier's anchor, he barely cared save for the fact that little pebble was somehow worth its weight in gold. When he got his officer's anchor he was proud of his company and eager to see them prove themselves. Now here he was, a colonel, and part of him would have given anything to keep his legion out of harm's way, though he knew he couldn't do that, nor were they really his legion. What was it that bloody book said again? The best generals are the ones who love their soldiers, but you have to kill that which you love.

    Fucking philosophers.

    He watched as the Darkenbeasts came in for a pass dropping bombs in the wake of the sky ships, their breath didn't do anything to the dead, but the twenty tiny suns sure did. The horses were fragile, they were supposed to be, little more than bombs themselves.

    Trouble were the rifts were even, like taking bites out of the foe one circle at a time. The army realigned itself, barely seeming to stop the charge. "Grave arrows now!" he snapped, too distracted to watch his tone with the Sisters of Battle. "Heralds hit the left. I want it too ragged to take a counter-charge!"

    Soon, fire was added to the golden radiance, and gravestone arrows rained down, each one a small 'rebellion' in the making, though the Fallen didn't aim for the drivers or even the warriors behind them. They aimed for the horses.

    The soft whisper of the mind dragon's thoughts at the back of his mind completed the picture his anchor painted. A fifth of the enemy had fallen and those that remained had finally slowed. Any normal army, any mortal army would be breaking at this point, but the dead of Sarnath had nothing to lose and the rage of their bloody corpse-god to drive them forward.

    It would come to a clash, either deploying their bright barriers anchored on the stone walls they had hastily shaped and hunkering down for the first blast or deploying the cavalry in a counter charge around the enemy flank to try to disrupt the formation further, and hopefully allow more of them to be blasted apart by launchers, darkenbeasts, and sky ships.

    What does the colonel do?

    [] Hunker down behind the barriers through the first charge before ordering the counter charge

    [] Order the cavalry to charge at once, the risk of some of the cavalry being caught in the blast is better than contact all along the line

    [] Write in

    OOC: Barely got this out its 1:30 AM for me. Hope I didn't mess anything up. Not yet edited.
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    Here's an edited version of the chapter, DP.

    Highlighted one part that confused me.
     
    I'd add some explosives from the Moonchasers. Undead or not, even they can't keep up a proper charge when half their cavalry is killed and the other half stumbling over the corpses.
     
    Crake said:
    @Goldfish @DragonParadox Perhaps Entangles? If they're driving straight onwards, rather than wheeling in a long arc, it should be easier to catch more of them in the effect?
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    That's what I was thinking, too. Between the 40 Plant servitors who can use it 3/day, plus any mages accompanying the Legion being able to use it from preparation or scrolls, they can massively interfere with the enemy charge.
     
    Let's reduce the enemy numbers and cohesion just a bit before our charge.

    [X] Hunker down behind the barriers through the first charge before ordering the counter charge
    -[X] Groups:
    --[X] All the Plant servitors assigned to this front will begin using their Entangle SLAs to interfere with the enemy charge, as will any Legion or Scholarium mages who have prepared the spell or have Entangle spell scrolls. The first round of Entangles will be aimed to affect the largest groupings of enemies as possible, the second will be placed in such a way as to provide an additional obstacle between Brilliant Barriers and Walls of Stone to hinder any attempts by enemies to charge through these gaps, and the third round will be reserved to use against the enemies when they attempt to reorient and charge again.
    --[X] Each Erinyes will focus their Gravemarker Arrowfire on one or more enemy horses which have been snared in an Entangle effect, with the goal of attracting other horses within the 300ft radius of the arrow's call so that they too will run into the Entangled area and become trapped.
    --[X] Moonchasers, Manticores, and Wyverns which are covering this front, or which have a good firing solution, will direct Explosive cannon rounds and Beetle Bombs to target large concentrations of enemies who have avoided becoming Entangled or affected by the Gravemarker Arrows before they can close and attack our forces. If the charge is blunted or halted, they will then turn their attention to those enemies who have been snared in the Entangle effect, destroying them before they can escape.
    --[X] All 12 Heralds assigned to this front will use their Fireball SLAs to blunt any segments of the enemy charge that seems to be close to engaging our lines. They will also act to prevent enemies from slipping through the gaps in our defenses, using their breath weapons and engaging physically if necessary. Negative Energy will have no effect upon them.
    -[X] Individuals:
    --[X] Vee will send any Elementals or Summoned creatures she has already conjured to aid the Heralds, then have them move beyond our lines to take the fight to the enemy before they can regroup or break through our defenses. She will continue Summoning Elementals to both attack enemies and bolster our lines. If she sees a good opportunity in between Summoning to drop an Earthquake spell on a large group of enemies, she will take it.
    --[X] Teana will do the same as Vee, first sacrificing three 6th level spell slots to Summon a trio of Triceratops, then tossing Fireballs at enemies or creating additional barriers using her Shadow magic.
    --[X] Waymar will cast Fireballs into large groups of enemies or direct pinpoint Lightning Lance attacks against targets which seem more powerful or threatening.
    --[X] Benerro, Melisandre, and Relath will act as they see fit to support the above strategy.
     
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    [X] Goldfish

    I'm really really really looking forward to the XP from this campaign. Everyone involved should be gaining if not a level then at least major progress towards their next one.
     
    I just suddenly got an image stuck in my head; three of our Heralds riding into battle against the charging Undead, each of them on the back of a Summoned Triceratops.

    Tell me that isn't metal as fuck?
     
    So this is a thing, but I was thinking about what kind of CR 6 beasties we would end up making. A couple more Darkenbeast companies would hardly put a dent in our supply, but they would get plenty of use. So that seems a safe bet.

    But also I'm guessing upgraded Watchmen servitors in droves, since they are just so darn useful.

    But most importantly, I'm thinking lots of CR 6 aquatic creatures that maximize utility for us against Deep Ones. Not sure which aquatic things would be best, aside from Mantas, since the utility of Sunburst has been amply demonstrated at this point as a battlefield force multiplier.
     
    Crake said:
    So this is a thing, but I was thinking about what kind of CR 6 beasties we would end up making. A couple more Darkenbeast companies would hardly put a dent in our supply, but they would get plenty of use. So that seems a safe bet.

    But also I'm guessing upgraded Watchmen servitors in droves, since they are just so darn useful.

    But most importantly, I'm thinking lots of CR 6 aquatic creatures that maximize utility for us against Deep Ones. Not sure which aquatic things would be best, aside from Mantas, since the utility of Sunburst has been amply demonstrated at this point as a battlefield force multiplier.
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    Among our aquatic servitors, we have:
    Heavy Duty Servitors:
    Fungal Constructs:
    Aquatic Forces:
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    Some of these are assigned to help out in places, but the majority are freely available at any given time. We have a lot of others who were grown as part of guard forces for specific locations.

    We actually have way more aquatic servitors than we do anything else, with over 1,200 of them also having the Plant-Imbued template. Not that I don't think we should grow more, but I also want to grow a lot more that are capable of operating on land or in the air. Our Verdant Ravens and Plant-Imbued Shadow Cats are both CR 6 and they've been extremely helpful in Sarnor. I wouldn't mind a few hundred more of each of them, at least.

    Among potential aquatic CR 6 servitors, I think the Advanced Plant-Imbued Gigantean Manta Ray (CR 6, 12 HD) and Plant-Imbued Electric Eel (w/+6 Racial HD) (CR 6, 10 HD) would give us the most bang for our buck. More Hippocampuses (Hippocampi?), though with increased Racial HD instead of the Giant template would feel a good niche, too.
     
    Crake said:
    So this is a thing, but I was thinking about what kind of CR 6 beasties we would end up making. A couple more Darkenbeast companies would hardly put a dent in our supply, but they would get plenty of use. So that seems a safe bet.

    But also I'm guessing upgraded Watchmen servitors in droves, since they are just so darn useful.

    But most importantly, I'm thinking lots of CR 6 aquatic creatures that maximize utility for us against Deep Ones. Not sure which aquatic things would be best, aside from Mantas, since the utility of Sunburst has been amply demonstrated at this point as a battlefield force multiplier.
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    Goldfish said:
    Among our aquatic servitors, we have:

    Some of these are assigned to help out in places, but the majority are freely available at any given time. We have a lot of others who were grown as part of guard forces for specific locations.

    We actually have way more aquatic servitors than we do anything else, with over 1,200 of them also having the Plant-Imbued template. Not that I don't think we should grow more, but I also want to grow a lot more that are capable of operating on land or in the air. Our Verdant Ravens and Plant-Imbued Shadow Cats are both CR 6 and they've been extremely helpful in Sarnor. I wouldn't mind a few hundred more of each of them, at least.

    Among potential aquatic CR 6 servitors, I think the Advanced Plant-Imbued Gigantean Manta Ray (CR 6, 12 HD) and Plant-Imbued Electric Eel (w/+6 Racial HD) (CR 6, 10 HD) would give us the most bang for our buck. More Hippocampuses (Hippocampi?), though with increased Racial HD instead of the Giant template would feel a good niche, too.
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    Here's this month's plant/fleshforging order in sp far as I compiled it (and got no one speaking up against it, so I assume all agree with it) :
    egoo said:
    Total:
    x580 Vigilant Briars (CR 4), 660 IM each -- 316,800 IM total
    x74 Vigilant Hunter (CR 10), 5,280 IM IM each -- 390,720 IM total
    x180 Vigilant Kelps (CR 4), 660 IM each -- 118.800 IM total
    x123 Watchmoles (CR 6), 1,320 IM each -- 162,360 IM total
    x10 Advanced Sorcerer Creature Kelpie (w/+12 Racial HD) (CR 10; 4,800 IM) -- 48,000 IM total
    x50 Advanced Kelpie (w/+4 Racial HD) (CR 6; 1,200 IM) -- 60,000 IM total
    x810 Hunter Jellyfish - 1,800 IM each -- 1,458,000 IM total
    x1100 Black Knights with Mobility Upgrade - 560 IM each -- 616,000 IM total
    x720 Necrotic Molds - 450 IM each -- 324,000 IM total
    x90 Blood Clot Molds - 4,800 IM each -- 432,000 IM total
    x90 Advanced Dire Hunter Jellyfish (CR 10) - 4,800 IM each -- 432,000 IM total
    x85 Black Brutes - 4,700 IM each -- 399,500 IM total
    x80 Necrotic Molds (Black Brute controlling units) - 450 IM each -- 36,000 IM total
    x15 Black Champion - 5,360 IM -- 80,400 IM total
    x10 Greater Bloodclot Mold (Black Champion controlling unit) - 288,000 IM
    x50 Tuogou, CR 4 - 600 IM each -- 30,000 IM total
    x50 Spitter Swarms - 60 IM each -- 3,000 IM total
    x20 Plant-Imbued Shadow Creature Cat (w/+4 Racial HD) (CR 6, 6 HD) - 1,200 IM each -- 24,000 IM total
    x10 Verdant Raven [Advanced Plant-Imbued Giant Raven (w/+4 Racial HD)] (CR 6, 6 HD) - 1,200 IM each -- 12,000 IM total
    x100 Verdant Kingfisher (CR 2, 2 HD) - 300 IM each. 30,000 IM total
    x10 Verdant Phoenixes (CR 15) - 28,800 IM each -- 288,000 IM total.

    Final score: 5,263,460 IM
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    It has had us grow tons and tons of Watchman-creatures (given we vote on it, ofc) to cover pretty much everywhere and then some.
    Also makes an effort to give every coastal city an Aquatic Defense force.

    So if we are to do anything with the bodies at all, it probably should be focused on attacking the Squids, not defending against them.
    Maybe something with that one AoE that lowers all Abomination's stats in large radius, as an SlA?
     
    egoo said:
    Here's this month's plant/fleshforging order in sp far as I compiled it (and got no one speaking up against it, so I assume all agree with it) :

    It has had us grow tons and tons of Watchman-creatures (given we vote on it, ofc) to cover pretty much everywhere and then some.
    Also makes an effort to give every coastal city an Aquatic Defense force.

    So if we are to do anything with the bodies at all, it probably should be focused on attacking the Squids, not defending against them.
    Maybe something with that one AoE that lowers all Abomination's stats in large radius, as an SlA?
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    Citing my post from Sunday:
    Goldfish said:
    1. 40,000 Lesser Dead -> 70,000 HD; Max CR 3
    2. 15,000 Chariots, Minor Mages, and Champions -> 67,500 HD; Max CR 6
    3. 380 Grave Knights -> 3,800 HD; Max CR 13
    4. 80 Storm Sorrows -> 1,360 HD Max CR 12
    5. 250 Bone Wagons -> 4,000 HD Max CR 15
    6. 24 Beasts of Ruin -> 600 HD; Max CR 18
    7. 9 Battle mages 144 HD; Max CR 18
    This is 174,404 HD. Add in the 19,449 HD already in the Larder and we have 193,853 HD. Divide that by three to determine the number of CR we can grow from it and we get 64,617.

    Since the maximum CR of creatures grown using recycled HD is 1/3 or the highest CR of the batch, in this case 18 from a Beast of Ruin, they cannot exceed CR 6.

    So in total, the Larder now has enough HD to fund the growth of 10,769 CR 6 servitors.
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    I don't see why we should just pay for everything we want from the upcoming order that is CR 6 or lower from our corpse stockpile. It will significantly defray costs and we'll have plenty left over for more orders in following months. We'll be adding more to that stockpile before we're done in Sarnor, too.

    Your current proposed order is so huge that I don't think we should try to add much to it.
     
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