Crimson Sands of Time

Yeah I’m ok with that 

So, if you want to talk your way out of a fight, great. It may work.  You want to nuke the squad, thats fine. Yse your features, yse your items, combo, tag team, wgatever you like. Its all narrative. Not even trackimg tesources, so it works the same as you use them get a long rest before the boss fight and your all fresh for it.  The thing is, the interactions are still consequential. NPCs & monsters might drop loot, gift boons or rewards or favors, or hire an assassin to kill you.  Its not without impact, it just doesnt use combat.  Bigger bosses and sub bosses, we still run as usual with mapd and combat mechanics and all that.  There are a few of these baked in as objecrives.  Im thinking of Szazz Tam, Father Llymic and a few lesser, plus a couple fixed points i wont reveal here.  PCs already know of the two i memtioned.  So, if you want to participate, youre welcome to do so. If you  want to continue but don't love the way I want to run it, let me know and we'll decide what to do from there.  If i have limited players, i will recruit more. Im thinking 5 or 6 for this.  So, yeah. Let me know.

(crossposts) Ok, seems like we can try this.  Just to describe the scene one more time... (it's been a minute and it looks like I never finished the description in the first place) A large chamber flanked on either side by a row of columns.  A staircase on the far side of the room, next to an empty wagon, descends into the black depths beneath the tower.

Three waiting sword wraiths manifest, wearing the golden torcs of the champions of the Fee City Arena, victors of the Champion Games.  

Aside from the war wagon, eight unused chariots reside on platform at the far side of the chamber.

(Chair for scale)

I am still in, and here!  

really impressive chariot!  

"Look, we are not neccesarily interested in fighting you- we were after some Orcs" T begins to say.  If they don't back off, he will cast a radiant fireball or lightning bolt at them (depending on which is the better shape to limit collateral damage) 

"Greetings noble spirits! What purpose and reason do you grace us with your presence on this fine day?"

Triskelion tries diplomacy even though he feels the odds are low, who's to know what the effort itself may yield.

Sam looks at the chariot and try’s to see if their anything he can make out of before getting ready for a fight 

history 14 

The wraiths watch cloaely as the grouo does their best to negotiate.  Keen observation notes they are watching yiur hands.  Sam notes the tracks followed to the front door continue here toward the desce ding stairs.

Pulled by horses made of bone and driven by a howling, armored corpse, the six-wheeled wagon creaks into motion and begins rolling across the room. At the same time, two more armored undead charge forward on skeletal horses, brandishing their weapons.

The wagin hurdles toward you, moving up to 40ft,  in an effort tonrrample you.  Make a Dex save (DC20) to avoid being trampled for 9 bludgeoning damage.  Anyone hit by the cart can make an AoO against the wagon or the horses, but not the wraiths.  The other two sword wraiths charge on horseback

Wraith 2 x Sam 18 for 30 slashing

Wraith 3 x Trisk  14 for 30 slashing slashing 

(No AoO, ride-by)

<Im not rinning this whole.c9mbat. Im not sure ecactly how to do this thing i described, but it hink the opening moves make sense, then just say what you'll do. These guys really just repeat this stuff. Ideally, you'd find a satisfying way to deal with them, bjt if its just do damage, then its going to take a few rounds, I suppose, but do roll your damage because 'damage solves'.>

[Fyi, (tmi) they were looking for a hand gesture you don't know, but I guess might have leaned... somehow?)

[I'm not mapping this stuff. Just assume you can reach whatver you want to reach.  If your trying to spread out or keep out of reach, just say so.   I acknowledge this makes AoOs hard, but just say what you want to do and I'll say if it's possible.   I really don't want these minor combats to drag on]

Also, their initiative is 12, so if you best that, you can act before they move, potentially getting well out of the way of the chariot, though the wraiths mounted on horses will go wherever you went if they can.

Triskelion's Initiative: 3

Trisk's DEX save: 17

Trisk is run over by the chariot riding wraith for 13 bludgeoning damage and then as the 2nd wraith rides after Sam the 3rd wraith rides over and slashes at Trisk for 30 slashing damage.

Acting after the wraiths, Trisk's initial opening round will be to cast Slow targeting the 3 wraiths and up to 3 of the horses (if 4 or more are pulling the chariot he will target the ones in the lead, but if only 2 are pulling the chariot then he will target both and the horse of the wraith that attacked him).

DC 19 WIS save or be affected by this spell for the duration.

1.  Half speed.
2.  -2 to AC and DEX saves.
3.  no reactions.
4.  can only do action or bonus action, not both.
5.  regardless of features or magic items, can only make 1 attack.
6.  if attempting to cast a spell with casting time 1 action, roll d20, a result of 11 or higher means the spell doesn't take effect until the caster's next turn and on that turn they must use their action to complete the spell

"Time out! Time out! I think I really wrenched my knee! Give me a minute to walk it off!"

<4 horses total, 2 ridden, 2 pulling the chariot>

Wis Saves

Horses

1 15

2 23

3 17

4 15

Wraiths

1 18

2 17

3 5

<Players are uo.  If no post tomorrow, wraiths will act again and playbwill tevert to players in a new round>

<looks like they all failed their saves.>

Sam init 12 

Sam will cast spirit gardiens 

(ooc: So if I'm understanding this correctly, and feel free to clarify, but only the initiative round will be taken and then we will narrate how we dispose of the threat. So there will essentially NOT be a 2nd, 3rd, or any other actual round of combat for random encounters and 'mundane' fights. The only fights we will play out round after round are the boss fights with a bbeg?)

<Yeas, I'm pushing this away from combat. Im still feeling out how to do it. I described the scene, response was try to talk to them. They're bound spirits with a key you don't have, they attack.  Ultimately the details don't matter much in terms of your sheet. HP, spell slots, etc. The idea is hopefully to oppose spamming fireball (shorthand) because its the best thing, if it doesn't matter what the best thing is, just do something interesting, and save the best thing for a boss fight. 

Now, if combat drags on, they could eventually kill you, but assuming you do something to actually successfully stop them, it shouldn't come to that. So, for now I'm rolling attacks, but i don't think I'll have to keep doing so. I considered simplifying it to a formulaic abstraction, like firing projectiles into a crowd in old editions, but still too much.  I just want to create a sense of urgency. I might ask for a roll if something seems difficult, like climbing on top of the moving chariot, maybe hitting a wheel (probably not) but, for the most part, you'll probably succeed at whatever you want to do without a roll needed, if its possible. Counter-example would be trying to turn an undead that is immune to it or charm a creature that can't be. My goal isn't to rewrite or tweak the system, just to ignore it wh we re it isnt needed. There are systems that already handle these things, but I'm not looking for more systems, I'm lookikg for fewer.  Thank you to everyone willing to try to feel this out.>

Between the combo of Slow and Spirit Guardians the enemies speed is quartered and Trisk will only use his cantrips to help finish off whatever's left of them after Sam and T's attacks.

I need to check somwthing here. @Legion4, Sam is good now, or evil? I'm pretty sure he became good.  Assuminf he js good, the seord wraiths and horses take 14 radiant damage each. (I think the player should have rolled it, but it's really juat a RNG, so, whatever.)

I guess average damage will make sense. Its just good to have some idea how much it would do.  Im really lookong for a cinematic desceiption kf whsts going on with minimal mechanics, so probabky contrary to suggest rolling damage, but you get the chance to crit. Its moot to me. 

So far i have slow, spirit guarsians and "cantrips"  a bit vague.  None of these will conclude the matter. Theyre fine, but keep going.  Theyll keep attacking the same way