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Excalibur: a NeoGAF Pathfinder Play by Post Campaign

Thaddeus lets go of the monk once Tiberious has successfully restrained him. It is only after a few moments of reading body language that he realizes the gladiator wants him to kill the man.

Thaddeus's eyes twitch, and suddenly the angst, rage, and lust for revenge that he's been embracing lately collides head-on with his decades of Paladin training. He reaches halfway down for the battleaxe strapped to his belt, but his hand doesn't make it all the way there.

Floating in limbo both physically and mentally, he is paralyzed. He meekly shakes his head, looking at Tiberious with agonized eyes.
 
Thaddeus lets go of the monk once Tiberious has successfully restrained him. It is only after a few moments of reading body language that he realizes the gladiator wants him to kill the man.

Thaddeus's eyes twitch, and suddenly the angst, rage, and lust for revenge that he's been embracing lately collides head-on with his decades of Paladin training. He reaches halfway down for the battleaxe strapped to his belt, but his hand doesn't make it all the way there.

Floating in limbo both physically and mentally, he is paralyzed. He meekly shakes his head, looking at Tiberious with agonized eyes.

Tiberious locks eyes with Thaddeus, looking both intent and a bit remorseful. Using his fingers without locking his grip, he makes a few motions

((I'm on my phone, so I can't look at my sheet. I'm pretty sure Tiberious's bluff with Bloodsport Showman in effect is above +12, which is what I'm rolling due to uncertainty on my sheet's skills sessions. IIRC, the DC for passing a message is 15. It may be lower since he doesn't care if the monk catches on.))

Code:
1D20 + 12 [6] + 12= 18
This man dies. Either you gut him, or he drowns.
 
<I'll just make it an instant kill just to save time (that and I am used to AD&D computer games where it actually is an instant kill.)

I'll revert to regular book rules for actual battles, though.>
 
With the monk dead, Tiberious releases his hold and makes a "See? No big deal" motion to Thaddeus. He then begins swimming towards Dreadstone and the fighter, presumably along with the others.
 
<I'll just make it an instant kill just to save time (that and I am used to AD&D computer games where it actually is an instant kill.)

I'll revert to regular book rules for actual battles, though.>

((he would have to make a DC 34 fort save to survive that, which even for a monk probably means needing a nat 20 to survive.))
 
Suddenly, the man's jaw bursts open, freeing a large mass of air into the water in flight from his body; he gargles and quickly becomes heavier and limp in the water.. Blood mists from his side and soon he drifts momentarily, softly landing on the sea floor. He is dead.
 

Mike M

Nick N
Dreadstone watches as his compatriots grapple the unsuspecting monk below the waves and put a quick end to him.

"One down, one to go," he mutters.

Once everyone has formed up on his position, he draws his bow and gazes at the dancing surface of the water above. Using hand signals, he indicates he'll surface and fire while the rest go for the fighter. He's only going to get one shot, so they have to make every last bit count.

Code:
Attack vs. Fighter
1d20+15=32
Damage:  1d8+8=12
 
((Before I type up an attack on the fighter, I need to figure something out about the +4 planar mace. Is it supposed to be a light mace or a heavy mace?))
 
((Gotcha, that makes sense. Since it looks like we're trying to blitz the fighter, two-handing his falcata is probably the best move since light weapons don't get the +50% bonus for being two-handed. 1D6 + 14 is less than 1D8 + 15, even if the mace is more likely to hit. Since the distance is a little iffy, I'll go ahead and declare a reckless charge so it can be a full-round attack.))

As Dreadstone gives the signal and fires on the fighter, Tiberious leaps out of the water, draws his falcata with both arms and rushes the man, doing his part to kill him before he can raise an alert.
Code:
[url=http://roll.coyotecode.net/lookup.php?rollid=75858]Power Attack 1: 1D20 + 15 = [15]+15 = 30
[/url]
[url=http://roll.coyotecode.net/lookup.php?rollid=75859]Damage: 1D8 + 15 = [2]+15 = 17
[/url]
Code:
[url=http://roll.coyotecode.net/lookup.php?rollid=75862]Power Attack 2: 1D20 + 7 = [8]+7 = 15
[/url]
 
((Yeah, daredevil charge. It's a gladiator ability from taking the daredevil trait. All it really did here though was lower my AC for the next turn if there's one, since that second attack almost certainly missed.))
 
With the others having the situation with the remaining guard well in hand, Thaddeus looks around for Lovegood, to make sure she's still around and not in any immediate danger.
 
Lovegood is noticeably taken aback by the display of violence the party had just displayed. She reels backward, fearfully reacting to Thaddeus' approach.
 
((Oh right sorry, actually busy today. So yeah, I guess this shit has already started, so I might as well get as close to the fighter as I can.))
 
Caught off guard, the fighter is quickly attacked. With an ugh and an argh, he is injured before he can even begin to defend himself.

He steps back from the opposing warrior of equal stature, and draws his weapon and shield, preparing for another attack.

<5ft. step away from Tiberious, draw Longsword, Total Defense.>
 
((A mandatory update to Windows 8.1 has left my laptop in an unusable state of limbo for the past 48+ hours, so I'm confined to phone posting for an indeterminate amount of time))

Tiberious's attack leaves him wide open, but luckily for the gladiator, his enemy opts to back away and assume a defensive stance. Tiberious steps in, opting to press the offensive.

((Five foot step to the fighter, full round power attack))
Code:
Power attack 1: [1] + 15= 16
Code:
Power attack 2: [15] + 7 = 22
Damage: [6] + 15= 21
 
<I just nerfed the guy's AC mid-battle but it didn't affect the results of any misses that had already happened.>

His defensive stance soon proves to be a worthy one, able to deflect the invader's blade with a shield against one strike and thrusting his sword to the hilt of the Falcata to hold it in place momentarily with a surprising amount of skill. He exclaims, "You'll pay for what you did to my comrade!"

Tiberious can suspect that this guard would be quite a challenge for him if he were to have fought him alone.

<Both attacks miss his Total Defense AC.>
 

Mike M

Nick N
Dreadstone watches as the fighter recovers from the surprise assault with remarkable speed. He's still standing, but on the defensive for the moment.

Dreadstone unleashes a flurry of arrows to ensure he stays on the defensive.

Code:
Full Round Attack vs. Fighter:
Attack 1:  1d20+15-2(Rapid Shot)=31
Damage (Multishot):  2d8+16=27

Rapid Shot:  1d20+15-2(Rapid Shot)=27
Damage:  1d8+8=13

Attack 2:  1d20+10=20
Damage:  LOL, no.

((No idea if he's within 30 feet, apply Point Blank +1 bonuses to attack and damage rolls as needed))
 
<First attack of Draco hits, but crit doesn't confirm. Dreadstone's 31 hits but not the 27.>

Soon, as others join the fray and begin to break through his defensive stance does the man begin to look injured and worn down.
 
((Ah, my bad for holding thing up then))

After having his initial attacks parried, Tiberious realizes that he's dealing with an experienced warrior here. Instead of going for another round of large, flourish filled swings, he tries something simpler, opting to just try to chop the man's head off with straight, heavy swings.

Code:
power attack 1: [14] + 15= 29
Damage: [6] + 15= 21
Code:
power attack 2: [14] + 7= 21
((EDIT: I forgot to apply the flanking bonus since Draco's on his other side. That would add +2 to both rolls, if it matters for the first one))
 
<First hits, 2nd misses>

The attempt to immediately remove the head is reacted with a tilt of his body backward, and the blade ends up carving a large gash on his face instead.
 
Thaddeus swims/marches toward the final man with his battleaxe at the ready.The weapon is still strange and foreign in his hands, after being so used to the sure grip of Demonsbane. He does not like the feel of this new weapon, but there is no doubt that its raw power eclipses anything else he could get his hands on.

He does not want to kill this man, but thus far he has shown no sign of backing down. With a somber heart, he performs an upward swing, aiming for the man's midsection.

Attack w/ flanking; damage (1d20+19=34, 1d8+8=15)

If the man is still standing after that, Thaddeus says, "Yield, and swim far from here. The man whose home you guard is not worth your life. This is your only chance."
 
The man is still alive... knocked down by the blow of the battle axe to his midsection.. he guffs heavily as he's surrounded by everyone around him..

As Thaddeus speaks to the stranger, it will eventually dawn upon the Paladin of Heironeous that the man seems familiar.. memories of a man that had flunked out of Paladin training for being unable to uphold disciplined values come to mind, though Thaddeus wouldn't have known him personally. He coughs, and speaks grimly, "This guardianship is simply work, but you all have ended the life of a friend I shared it with.. If I were to run now, it would be cowardice."
 
Thaddeus lowers his head and looks away for just a second. He retracts his axe.

"Your friend did not deserve to die. Our tactics were dishonourable, and unworthy of a Paladin of Heironeous."

He looks down at the armour he's wearing and scoffs. "Come to think of it, nothing I've done recently has been worthy of Heironeous."

He spreads his arms and looks at the partially-downed fighter. "I offer you my life, as penance for that of your friend. If it please you, take it, and then flee from this place. Or allow me to live, and still flee from this place. The decision is yours. Just please, leave here. I shall not be responsible for yet another innocent's death."
 
Tiberious looks to Thaddeus with his mouth agape. The part about the fighter being an innocent was tuned out, but he sees that Thaddeus is about to offer his life out of shame for his prior actions.

"Umm, Thad, you sure? A man should die on his own terms, ideally in a fight with a greater man, but are you sure you're thinking with a clear head right now? You've been dealt a lot of bad stuff, but is letting a fallen bad guy kill you how you want to go out? Will that fix your problems?"

Despite his objections, Tiberious makes no moves to stop Thaddeus or preemptively kill the fighter. It's not his place to interfere with Thaddeus's manly autonomy.
 
"I do not want to die, Tiberious," says Thaddeus. "Far from it. But this is not about what I want. It is about what is right. That man we killed - he was helpless and unsuspecting. We ambushed him, rather than facing him head-on. We gave him no opportunity to fight, yield, or run away. We effectively murdered him."

He turns to look the gladiator in the eye. "As a paladin I swore to uphold truth and justice, to always do the right thing, even when it is the difficult path. Even when it is the impossible path. Where is the justice in what we have done today?

"What's done is done, and we cannot take back the death of this man's friend. All I can do now is throw myself at his mercy and allow him some small measure of justice, if he deems it necessary."
 
Tiberious looks back at Thaddeus, unflinching. "I can't speak for your idea of what good and justice are, but I can speak on mine. These guys are guarding a bad guy. By definition, that makes them bad guys, and bad guys are supposed to be killed. That, is what it is to be good and a man."

He stops and looks at Thaddeus for a moment, as if his reasoning is ironclad. "That said, my values aren't yours. Do what you must. I won't try and stop you."
 
"If you didn't want to do a covert op like we planned, you should have said something. You would have made a great distraction for the rest of us. Anyways, you seem to have forgotten why we are here. This is the Thieves Guild we are dealing with. There are no innocent people here, they are all criminals who have made it a point to try and fuck us over every chance they get while we are trying to stop so psycho bitch from destroying what qualifies as the government around here. If you really want to get into your 5th moral quandary with yourself, THIS MONTH, you can, but please don't do it in the middle of a mission."
 
"So you're on a mission, are you..." He begins to pick himself up, "I don't need any of Heironeous' nonsense about how wrong it is to kill. If you're not going to kill me, I'll finish the fight myself!!"

He raises his sword to begin a swing...

<Draco still has a turn.>
 
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