Book 1 - Chapter 4.1: Black Bag Job

[Asta]

Location: Southeast of Telan
Date: Oaeksaber 25, Resdey, 795
Time: 2000


A small fire burns brightly in the gloaming, illuminating the crest of the hill upon which a short crumbling tower rests. Perhaps at one point in the past it served as a watch post for some unlucky soldier, or a rest point for far roaming hunters. It's original purpose long forgotten now, it serves as a shelter for a small group of goblins; likely one of the raiding parties reported by the town militia.

Even at a distance you can see that surrounding the fire are three small figures milling about, and just north of the dark mass that is the tower you can spot a taller figure just barely in the moonlight.

[spoiler=Thedrin and Rhenri]Your darkvision allows you to see a second figure to the north of the tower. The two are clearly hobgoblins.[/spoiler]

Somehow, likely the squabbling and incomprehensible gibbering of the goblins, your approach goes unnoticed. However if you were to move from your current position just behind the top of an adjacent hill you would be spotted if not careful.

"How do you want to take this?" whispers Scathach. "Don't forget we need to bring one of the little ones back alive..."

[info]Roll20 Link[/info]

[pringerbeam]

     "Simple, I'll dispatch the commanders in glorious combat while the three of you bludgeon one of the underlings into unconsciousness." Said Thedrin as he unsheathed Eiltin's blade.

[Throndir]

"Once theya dyin' caint our Thedrin here simply heal them back to consciousness?" Rhenri asked, as she pulled out her bow and an arrow, then fell into her stance.

[info]Activate Stance of the Piercing Rays.[/info]

[Oath]

Cecilia strains her eyes looking towards the tall figure, trying to make out what they were dealing with.

[info] Knowledge local.
[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+8 : 7 + 8, total 15[/blockquote]
[/info]

[Asta]

[info]The tall figures are most definitely Hobgoblins, as expected. You recall that they are a particularly militaristic race of creature, as intelligent as your average human, and could for all intent and purposes be called "civilized".

More to the point you know that they are much more hearty than their diminutive brethren, and are likely to wear and wield armor and weapons of better quality than your bog standard goblin. However, they are susceptible to mind affecting magics. (HP:17, AC:16)[/info]

[Throndir]

Rhenri silently eyed her companions as she drew her bow and took aim towards one of the goblins around the campfire. Once everyone was ready, she'd fire.

[info][blockquote]Initiative 1d20+5 : 14 + 5, total 19[/blockquote]
Swift: Activate Murderous Insight
Ki: 2 of 3 remaining
Standard Action: Attack vs Flat-foot AC on Goblin 1
[blockquote]Attack 1, take higher 1d20+6 : 6 + 6, total 12[/blockquote]
[blockquote]Attack 1, take higher 1d20+6 : 16 + 6, total 22[/blockquote]
[blockquote]Piercing 1d8 : 7, total 7[/blockquote]
[blockquote]Fire 1d6 : 2, total 2[/blockquote]
[/info]

[spoiler=Murderous Insight]Murderous Insight (Su):

The stalker designates his combat senses towards ending the lives of his opponents and gains momentary flashes of insight in how to best accomplish this. By spending one point of ki as a swift action, the stalker makes an attack and rolls twice for that attack and uses the better of the two results due to the stalker

[pringerbeam]

    With the other springing into action, Thedrin charged the hobgoblins yelling. "Have at thee foul hobs!"

[info]Swift Action: Smite Hobgoblin 2

Full-round Action: Charge Hobgoblin 2[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+12 : 3 + 12, total 15[/blockquote]    Damage[blockquote]Rolled 1d8+5 : 8 + 5, total 13[/blockquote][/info]

[pringerbeam]

[info]Whoops forgot initiative[blockquote]Rolled 1d20 : 12, total 12[/blockquote][/info]

[Oath]

Cecilia casts mage armor on herself as Thedrin charges.

[info] Casting mage armor. Level 1 spells left: Sleep, Color Spray

Initiative: [blockquote]Rolled 1d20+6 : 15 + 6, total 21[/blockquote]
[/info]

[Asta]

Simultaneously Rhenri and Scathach rose to a standing position and fired into the group of goblins around the fire. Scathach's arrow whizzed through the air cutting a shallow gash along the arm of her target. Rhenri's own flaming projectile slammed into the chest of another goblin and sent it reeling backwards into unconsciousness.

At the same time, Thedrin launched his assault, crossing the shallow ditch between the hilltops at a sprint and burying his sword, infused with holy wrath, deep into the collarbone of the hobgoblin. Despite the blow, the creature remained standing, though barely.

Meanwhile, the air around Cecilia shimmered slightly as her spell coalesced into a protective barrier.

[okay]Rhenri shoots goblin 1, knocking it unconscious and is now dying.[/okay]
[okay]Scathach shoots goblin 2, dealing 1 damage.[/okay]
[okay]Thedrin charges Hobgoblin 2, dealing 13 damage.[/okay]

Following up her first shot Scathach rapidly loosed two more arrows at her target, both of which found their mark with deadly accuracy striking the goblin in a vital location and sending it stumbling backwards to the ground. At the same time, the unwounded hobgoblin barks and order in a language you cannot understand and moves quickly to lash at Thedrin with its sword, but the blow is deflected by his armor.

[okay]Scathach shoots goblin 2 twice (Rapid Shot), once critically, dealing 10 damage. Goblin 2 unconscious and dying.[/okay]
[okay]Hobgoblin 1 attacks Thedrin, misses.[/okay]

[spoiler=Combat Log]
Roll20
Initiative Order: Scathach, Hobgoblin 1, Cecilia, Rherni, Hobgoblin 2, Goblin 2, Thedrin, Goblin 3

Round 1:
Scathach shoots goblin 2, 10 damage
Hobgoblin 1 attacks Thedrin, miss
[/spoiler]

[Oath]

Keeping their task in mind, Cecilia attempts to put the remaining goblin to sleep to make capturing him a trivial task.

[info] Cecilia casts Sleep on Goblin 3. DC 15 Will save. save negates. 2 minute duration 1 round casting time.

Sleep:
A sleep spell causes a magical slumber to come upon 4 HD of creatures. Creatures with the fewest HD are affected first. Among creatures with equal HD, those who are closest to the spell

[Throndir]

With the first goblin down, Rhenri breathed out again, honing her focus on the next target.

[info]Buffs: Stance of the Piercing Rays, Murderous Insight (3 rounds remaining)
Move: Closer 20 ft., within 30 ft. of Goblin 3.
Standard Action: Attack Goblin 3 (should still be flat-footed), +1 Point-Blank Shot
[blockquote]Attack 1 vs Flat-Footed AC, take higher. 1d20+7 : 5 + 7, total 12[/blockquote]
[blockquote]Attack 1 vs Flat-Footed AC, take higher. 1d20+7 : 11 + 7, total 18[/blockquote]
[blockquote]Piercing 1d8+1 : 4 + 1, total 5[/blockquote]
[blockquote]Fire 1d6 : 2, total 2[/blockquote][/info]

[Throndir]

[info]Change target from Goblin 3 to closest Hobgoblin (can't tell which number it is). Precise Shot should negate the shooting into melee penalty.

[blockquote]Low-light Concealment roll 1d100 : 83, total 83[/blockquote][/info]

[Asta]

Cecilia begins to chant her spell as Rhenri moves into a better position to cover Thedrin in his battle with the hobgoblins. Losing a flaming arrow that streaks through the night and sinks into her target's flesh.

The wounded hobgoblin shouts something again in the incomprehensible language of its kind before slashing at Thedrin, who once again manages to avoid taking a blow. It is then, that a sharp howl is heard from the insides of the ruined tower. From its depths rockets a mangy dog-like creature that rushes past Thedrin toward Rhenri.

[okay]Rhenri shoots Hobgoblin 1, dealing 7 damage.[/okay]

[spoiler=Combat Log]
Roll20
Initiative Order: Scathach, Hobgoblin 1, Cecilia, Rhenri, Dog-Thing, Hobgoblin 2, Goblin 2, Thedrin, Goblin 3

Round 1:
Scathach shoots goblin 2, 10 damage
Hobgoblin 1 attacks Thedrin, miss
Rhenri shoots hob 1, 7 damage
Hob 2 attacks Thedrin, miss
[/spoiler]

[pringerbeam]

[info] Attack of Opportunity[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+6 : 18 + 6, total 24[/blockquote][/info]