You all sneak up the stone stairs, outside the top room of this tall temple. Thunder crashes above and lightning emits the sky, casting your long shadows behind you. Thanks to the hero’s feast, you all hold your resolve. You’ve been wondering where all the yuan-ti have been hiding this whole time and you’ve just found out.
Peering in you see a tall, blonde treestrider woman in a trance standing on a sacrificial alter. A blank gaze stares out over a writhing sea of yuan-ti forces. A litter of broodguards- once humanoid followers of the yuan-it who, willing to not have been subjected to a gruesome transformation process to join as followers to their masters.
A mind whisperer and a Nightmare speaker flank either side of Judas who has now removed his robed disguise and donned a ceremonial robe of silk, holding a ceremonial dagger in hand to the girl’s wrists who holds them out willingly.
”The amount of blood sacrifices has almost filled the amount needed for our lord of the jungle to arise!” You hear him announce. “The time for Yuan-ti rule once again is almost upon us!”
Nia pops her head in and sights down her staff. A spurt of red flame flies over the swarm of snake like beasts as it travels through the air. They all look at it, slightly in awe, before a cacophonous BOOM erupts, evicerating a number of broodguards in the explosion. Judas is seen holding his arm in front of his face, letting out a loud cry of pain which is drowned out by the crackling of fire in the explosion. The woman is thrown to the side.
Hundreds, if not thousands of eyes turn towards the doorway in which you all stand in formation, ready for this oncoming assault.
You hear the mind whisperer and the nightmare speaker cry out- “Kill the last sacrifice! Spill her blood, OR the blood of one of those inferior soft skins!... Even that traitor who dare not call himself a yuan-it’s very existence is an insult to our superior race!” She says, raising a clawed finger at Liam. “Save that one for Ishassara to condem when she arises!”
"EAT FIREBALL, YOU BASTARD! I'll cut you to pieces and send them in a box back to your whore of a mother!" Crispy screams from behind Chubby and Gregor.
Crispy reaches into her pocket as everyone goes before her. She opens up a small box, takes out a pill, and pops it in her mouth.
"Ohhhh Hells, this is gonna hurt." She mumbles to herself. She then hears the Nightmare Speaker. "HEY!" She yells at the Nightmare Speaker, "No one insults Liam but ME! Got that?!"
She starts bouncing on her toes, twirling her blades, and gets into the zone. "This is it, this is it." She chants to herself, closing her eyes and shifting from "passive" to "hostile".
Not knowing the ranges to the opponents, I'm just going to make the wild ass assumption that I can attack any of the enemies?
Chubby will rush forward and pass by the little snake puppies, charging for an attack on the Nightmare speaker.
Attack #1: 18 Damage: 12
Attack #2: 15 Damage: 11
He'll expend one superiority dice and make a Goading Attack (battlemaster maneuver skill), adding 5 damage to that first hit from attack #1. The Nightmare speaker now must make a WIS saving throw...
Goading Attack
When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can expend one superiority die to attempt to goad the target into attacking you. You add the superiority die to the attack’s damage roll, and the target must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the target has disadvantage on all attack rolls against targets other than you until the end of your next turn.
Sorry Chubbs! I don’t think I’ve painted the situation clearly enough. Here’s the situation:
Currently, a sea of broodguards stand between you and the alter where the nightmare speaker, Judas, the sacrifice and the mind whisperer are standing. They’re at the other end of a 100’ long room.
Moving through the enemies will count as difficult terrain as the party wades through these foul beasts.
You can easily attack the enemies in front of you, and I am using cleave combat rules which means if you hit one creature and do enough damage to kill it, the damage also spreads to the next enemy within 5’ of the one you’re attacking. You’re fighting your way through a mob and time is of the essence as the yuan-ti only needs one more sacrifice’s blood for the pool.
Below is an image with you guys at the top and your goal at the bottom. More and more broodguards are climbing in from the hole in the roof of the temple, clinging to the walls before jumping down into the pit you’re currently fighting through.
So a couple thoughts because that's a shit ton of broodguards and I have no area of attack abilities.
I'm assuming we take attacks of opportunity if we "push and shove" our way past them?
Is there any way we can run downstairs, and find the other two sets of stairs leading up that we see next to the altar instead of wading past that sea of broodguards?
If those are not options, if we kill broodguards, more appear? So if one of the casters can AOE a few squares, do they fill up those squares next round? Meaning, we can't "make a path" and not take attacks of opportunity?
The way I'm using mob rules is that 1d4+1 enemies will hit on the start of your turn. So you're free to move forward after that. There's no aoo for the broodguards.
The cleave mechanic means you can kill multiple enemies in one hit if you meet the ac and damage requirements for melee fighters.
Moving forward just counts as difficult terrain, so you can dash and take a bit of damage, or cut your way through.
It's not actually an endless stream of broodguards, I'm just flavouring it that way :) there's no auto fill mechanic or anything.
If anyone remembers the minions mechanic, thats kind of what these are.
Chubby will grab onto Gregor, and together we'll bumrush through the crowd of minions, using our respective turns to dash through the little puppy turds and get to the big baddies up front as quickly as possible. He'll push forward with his shield at the front of him, offering whatever protection it offers.
Let me know how far we get, and how much damage (if any) we take along the way!
Crispy will dash behind them, using them as shields. I'll have Nia and Liam are next to me, to protect them in case anything happens, and to make sure they keep up with us.
(OOC: I was waiting for my actual turn to do anything, but since that seems a bit up in the air at the moment, I DID actually have a bit of a plan to help us all move ahead through the mass of broodguards...)
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Contingent on DM allowing it to happen:
As Crispy attempts to grab Liam's arm and drag him along after Chubby and Gregor, Liam sidesteps just out of her reach with a calculated expression on his face, his eyes fixed on the Mind Whisperer. Raising his crystal focus in his outstretched hand, sparks fly from his eyes as he utters a Primordial incantation. As the final syllable spills from his lips a Lightning Bolt blasts forward, cutting a 100-foot line through the chamber, directly between Liam and his target.
Yep, initiative rolls please. Nia, what’s the dex save on that?
"CoS" Rumble- Tabaxi Shadow Monk
Save DC is 15
Initiative roll: 15
Gregor init: 20
"CoS" Rumble- Tabaxi Shadow Monk
Initiative: 14
You all sneak up the stone stairs, outside the top room of this tall temple. Thunder crashes above and lightning emits the sky, casting your long shadows behind you. Thanks to the hero’s feast, you all hold your resolve. You’ve been wondering where all the yuan-ti have been hiding this whole time and you’ve just found out.
Peering in you see a tall, blonde treestrider woman in a trance standing on a sacrificial alter. A blank gaze stares out over a writhing sea of yuan-ti forces. A litter of broodguards- once humanoid followers of the yuan-it who, willing to not have been subjected to a gruesome transformation process to join as followers to their masters.
A mind whisperer and a Nightmare speaker flank either side of Judas who has now removed his robed disguise and donned a ceremonial robe of silk, holding a ceremonial dagger in hand to the girl’s wrists who holds them out willingly.
”The amount of blood sacrifices has almost filled the amount needed for our lord of the jungle to arise!” You hear him announce. “The time for Yuan-ti rule once again is almost upon us!”
Nia pops her head in and sights down her staff. A spurt of red flame flies over the swarm of snake like beasts as it travels through the air. They all look at it, slightly in awe, before a cacophonous BOOM erupts, evicerating a number of broodguards in the explosion. Judas is seen holding his arm in front of his face, letting out a loud cry of pain which is drowned out by the crackling of fire in the explosion. The woman is thrown to the side.
Hundreds, if not thousands of eyes turn towards the doorway in which you all stand in formation, ready for this oncoming assault.
You hear the mind whisperer and the nightmare speaker cry out- “Kill the last sacrifice! Spill her blood, OR the blood of one of those inferior soft skins!... Even that traitor who dare not call himself a yuan-it’s very existence is an insult to our superior race!” She says, raising a clawed finger at Liam. “Save that one for Ishassara to condem when she arises!”
Judas dex save: 11
Summoning timer: 5 Rounds
Initiative: Gregor, Chubby, Nia, Liam, Crispy, MW, NS, Judas.
Above: Broodguard
Above: Nightmare speaker
Above: Mindwhisperer
"CoS" Rumble- Tabaxi Shadow Monk
"EAT FIREBALL, YOU BASTARD! I'll cut you to pieces and send them in a box back to your whore of a mother!" Crispy screams from behind Chubby and Gregor.
On Gregor’s turn, he is immediately attacked by the surrounding broodguards. Attack: 13 Damage: 18
He enters a rage, grabbing his axe and making two swipes at the wave of broodguards in front of him. Attack: 21 Damage: 7 / Attack: 16 Damage: 10
Gregor cleaves through four broodguards, giving him space to advance slightly, around 15’ towards the stage.
Chubby is up!
"CoS" Rumble- Tabaxi Shadow Monk
Crispy reaches into her pocket as everyone goes before her. She opens up a small box, takes out a pill, and pops it in her mouth.
"Ohhhh Hells, this is gonna hurt." She mumbles to herself. She then hears the Nightmare Speaker. "HEY!" She yells at the Nightmare Speaker, "No one insults Liam but ME! Got that?!"
She starts bouncing on her toes, twirling her blades, and gets into the zone. "This is it, this is it." She chants to herself, closing her eyes and shifting from "passive" to "hostile".
On chubby’s turn, a number of broodguards attack him as well, nipping at him wherever they can. 5
Oof, Chubby takes 16 piercing and slashing damage.
"CoS" Rumble- Tabaxi Shadow Monk
Not knowing the ranges to the opponents, I'm just going to make the wild ass assumption that I can attack any of the enemies?
Chubby will rush forward and pass by the little snake puppies, charging for an attack on the Nightmare speaker.
Attack #1: 18 Damage: 12
Attack #2: 15 Damage: 11
He'll expend one superiority dice and make a Goading Attack (battlemaster maneuver skill), adding 5 damage to that first hit from attack #1. The Nightmare speaker now must make a WIS saving throw...
When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can expend one superiority die to attempt to goad the target into attacking you. You add the superiority die to the attack’s damage roll, and the target must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the target has disadvantage on all attack rolls against targets other than you until the end of your next turn.
Last to know and first to be blamed...
As a free action, can I regret my life choices?
Sorry Chubbs! I don’t think I’ve painted the situation clearly enough. Here’s the situation:
Currently, a sea of broodguards stand between you and the alter where the nightmare speaker, Judas, the sacrifice and the mind whisperer are standing. They’re at the other end of a 100’ long room.
Moving through the enemies will count as difficult terrain as the party wades through these foul beasts.
You can easily attack the enemies in front of you, and I am using cleave combat rules which means if you hit one creature and do enough damage to kill it, the damage also spreads to the next enemy within 5’ of the one you’re attacking. You’re fighting your way through a mob and time is of the essence as the yuan-ti only needs one more sacrifice’s blood for the pool.
Below is an image with you guys at the top and your goal at the bottom. More and more broodguards are climbing in from the hole in the roof of the temple, clinging to the walls before jumping down into the pit you’re currently fighting through.
Feel free to amend your turn.
"CoS" Rumble- Tabaxi Shadow Monk
So a couple thoughts because that's a shit ton of broodguards and I have no area of attack abilities.
I'm assuming we take attacks of opportunity if we "push and shove" our way past them?
Is there any way we can run downstairs, and find the other two sets of stairs leading up that we see next to the altar instead of wading past that sea of broodguards?
If those are not options, if we kill broodguards, more appear? So if one of the casters can AOE a few squares, do they fill up those squares next round? Meaning, we can't "make a path" and not take attacks of opportunity?
The filling in is for cinematic effect.
The way I'm using mob rules is that 1d4+1 enemies will hit on the start of your turn. So you're free to move forward after that. There's no aoo for the broodguards.
The cleave mechanic means you can kill multiple enemies in one hit if you meet the ac and damage requirements for melee fighters.
Moving forward just counts as difficult terrain, so you can dash and take a bit of damage, or cut your way through.
It's not actually an endless stream of broodguards, I'm just flavouring it that way :) there's no auto fill mechanic or anything.
If anyone remembers the minions mechanic, thats kind of what these are.
"CoS" Rumble- Tabaxi Shadow Monk
Chubby will grab onto Gregor, and together we'll bumrush through the crowd of minions, using our respective turns to dash through the little puppy turds and get to the big baddies up front as quickly as possible. He'll push forward with his shield at the front of him, offering whatever protection it offers.
Let me know how far we get, and how much damage (if any) we take along the way!
Last to know and first to be blamed...
As a free action, can I regret my life choices?
Crispy will dash behind them, using them as shields. I'll have Nia and Liam are next to me, to protect them in case anything happens, and to make sure they keep up with us.
(OOC: I was waiting for my actual turn to do anything, but since that seems a bit up in the air at the moment, I DID actually have a bit of a plan to help us all move ahead through the mass of broodguards...)
Do we have to wait a week to hear it?
Contingent on DM allowing it to happen:
Yeah, that works too.
Let me know when Nia's turn is, curveball incoming. Might make things easier or harder for us.