[To use one of a DM's favourite phrases: you can certainly try! The handout earlier has the stats for the ship's ram for a reason :) Thinking about the geometry, length of the ship, etc, I think you'd probably need to spend a round or two gaining height (say, 50ft+ higher than the squid?) in order to have room to bring your ram down on it.]
Also I feel like me making a dude who just has a stick to fight with probably wasn't the best decision in this format
[I'm sure Xavier will get something to hit with a stick soon enough... in the meantime you could help with the ballista or Help one of the NPCs taking potshots at the enemy crew (and if you do the latter, feel free to make the roll for them (+3 to hit with advantage from Help, 1d8+1 piercing; they're using the bandit stat block))]
WARNING WARNING A DM HAS SAID YOU CAN TRY. BEGIN PANICKING
(OOC Well, here's the thing: If our characters' lives were actually on the line, Rel would be a little more hesitant to risk crippling their ship on a crazy maneuver. But, he figures, it's a simulation, might as well take a chance that might work out brilliantly or might fail spectacularly, but there's no real penalty other than perhaps some hazing from other cadets, or peeling potatoes as punishment from superiors. He's a "go for broke" sort of guy. Plus, one day, we might actually need to do this in a battle, and it will/would be nice to have at least attempted it once before, so that we have some experience when it really counts. My two cents. Rel will listen to the others if they have strong opinions on the topic.)
(OOC Question for the DM. Not to strain the maths skills, but does rotating our orientation around a central axis (say changing the ship from east-west facing to north-south facing) use movement? Technically the center of the ship won't move at all, but the bow and stern would. I ask this because if we revise the plan to ram them from the side rather than from above, we could probably do it next round, if our movement isn't all used up by rotating. I guess they could do the same to us, too, if that is in the programming.)
Xavier turns to Rel, willing to give him a lot more than just his thoughts on the maneuver, but held his tongue. This was no time to bicker. He merely shrugged and spoke: sure Rel, go on ahead.
(Ooc I am a lot more excited about this. Let's frickin rogue one this squid)
Not really sure what else to do, Xavier decides to begin loading the ballista on board, and calls out to the rest of the crew: "Can someone give me a hand firing this?"
Erma, seeing her crew making for firing our ballista, runs to sterncastle for a better view and shoots a guiding bolt at the ballista of the other ship, hopefully making it a prime target for the ballista of our ship.
(OOC Question for the DM. Not to strain the maths skills, but does rotating our orientation around a central axis (say changing the ship from east-west facing to north-south facing) use movement? Technically the center of the ship won't move at all, but the bow and stern would. I ask this because if we revise the plan to ram them from the side rather than from above, we could probably do it next round, if our movement isn't all used up by rotating. I guess they could do the same to us, too, if that is in the programming.)
[Not gonna lie, I kinda really want to see you try the "death from above" tactic. It's the sort of creative, out-of-the-plane thinking I want to reward :). Per the 'no facing' rule, no, rotation of the ship doesn't use up movement. But I think you do have to have the room to rotate into (and the ram attack does require that you've used movement I think). On the other hand, I spent like two hours earlier rotating ship silhouettes in Photoshop to try and figure out collision geometries, and just ended up with a headache, so screw it: I'm going to say that if you use your round 1 movement 'setting up' for the ram (in an abstract way we don't need to bother trying to put on the map), then you (or more specifically, Gloix) can use your round 2 movement to make the ram attack from any angle you like. I encourage you to think back to the slide on gravity planes in Saerthe's lecture yesterday...
Unless you say otherwise, I'll assume that's the plan?]
The Squid has two ballistae to your one; on other hand you have to mangonels to its one, which is probably why they seem to be trying to hold their current, too-close-for-mangonels, range—they've got you outgunned this close.
[OK, let's get this back on initiative track...]
Captain Rel issues his orders, and Gloix starts to get some distance and turn the ship around to bring the ram to bear.
[Squid Attack phase:]
The Squid ship fires both ballistae, one targeting your hull and the other your own ballista. Meanwhile the remaining two githyanki on the deck take crossbow shots at the crewmates manning your ballista.
[Ballista vs Hammerhead: 16 for 19 piercing damage Ballista vs Ballista: 13 for 15 piercing damage Light crossbow vs Crewmate 1: 17 for 5 piercing damage Light crossbow vs Crewmate 2: 9 for 7 piercing damage]
[Foundling Attack phase:]
Erma lights up one of the enemy ballistae. Xavier loads a heavy bolt—longer than his Quarterstaff!—into your own ballista and steps back for the crew to aim and fire it.
[Since Xavier has already granted advantage to the ballista, I'll bot Roy to make a direct attack using the advantage from guiding bolt: Fire bolt: 11 for 4 fire damage]
Finally the remaining crewmates fire the ballista and take some crossbow shots at the enemy crew. [Ballista vs Ballista: 12 for 22 piercing damage Light crossbow vs Githyanki 1: 15 for 3 piercing damage Light crossbow vs Githyanki 2: 13 for 4 piercing damage Light crossbow vs Githyanki 3: 6 for 9 piercing damage]
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Both the Squid's ballistae bolts skim past your deck harmlessly, but one of the crossbow bolts strikes one of your crew in the shoulder. Erma, Roy and the ballista crew return fire, their combined hits doing a significant amount of damage, and in the case of Roy's fire bolt, setting the wooden body of the device alight! Two of your crossbowmen also deal some wounds to its crew.
The satyr grabs his pan-flute and plays a three-note trill, followed by "Attention all crew! Secure yourselves immediately to something sturdy! Brace for impact! Initiate maneuver 'Hammertime' on my mark.... Mark!"
Action: (Special Help action, CHA roll 24 (game log) +2 proficiency if indicated, to help Gloix with the ramming attack)
[Alright! Gloix, make the ram attack: with the captain's Help, that's a +10 with advantage to hit against the Squid's AC15; 16d10 damage on a hit. Then, the hardest part, describe exactly what angle you ram them from (e.g. from above or from the side; do you roll so that e.g. their bow or stern is "up" from your point of view?).]
Zaius bares his teeth in a grim smile as the Captain gives the order to ram the enemy ship, then calls additional orders down to the crew. “Brace yourselves. Prepare for impact. Make ready to board the enemy ship, we will take the fight to them! Mr. Xavier, lead the boarding party after we make contact”
Zaius tightens his grip on the rigging and watches the distance close between the two ships, preparing for the collision.
Gloix guides the ship up and then swoops downwards, banking into a turn to try and bring the bow of the ship crashing into the deck of the other vessel. He tries to aim for right about where the helm would be, but anywhere will do for the crash!
The Foundling crashes down on the deck of the enemy vessel, aiming for where Gloix estimates the bridge is likely to be. Guy ropes snap as the blunt ram at the front of the Hammerhead hits just a little behind the mizzenmast, obliterating the aft ballista and penetrating deep into the cargo deck. The wood of both ships bends and splinters as the rigging tangles together—you've definitely taken some damage yourself, but the Squid absolutely got the worst of it.
Gravity seems to waver for a moment, before reasserting itself. The two ships are effectively a single object now, and the stronger gravity plane of the Foundling suppresses the Squid's own: the latter ship finds itself suddenly with its bow sticking up in the air at a 45 degree angle, its crew scrabbling to grab on to something lest they fall from the now-vertical deck.
Three CREW operate the ship's AFT BALLISTA. The prow of the FLIGHTY FOUNDLING crashes down, destroying the ballista and sending shrapnel flying. A chunk of wood gravely injures one CREW; a metal BOLT impales a second CREW, pinning their corpse to the gunwhale. Then gravity inverts, and the two survivors fall to the underside of the Foundling's hull.
INT. SQUID SHIP - BRIDGE
The SPELLJAMMER sits at the ship's SPELLJAMMING HELM while a CREW stands guard. Suddenly the ceiling caves in as the FLIGHTY FOUNDLING's BLUNT RAM penetrates the SQUID SHIP. The CREW dives out of the way, but the SPELLJAMMER is thrown from the helm, hitting the bulkhead with a sickening snap of bone.
EXT. SQUID SHIP - RIGGING
The CAPTAIN dodges as fragments of spar and mast fall around her. Rigging tangles around her but she avoids injury.
INT. SQUID SHIP - CARGO HOLD
A single CREW stands guard at the bottom of the stairs leading to the hold. Gravity shifts, and the CREW falls the length of the hold, impacting the stern bulkhead head first, with a fatal splatter of blood and gore.
EXT. SQUID SHIP - FORECASTLE
Three CREW operate the ship's FORE BALLISTA, while two more CREW armed with CROSSBOWS stand at the gunwhale. Gravity shifts. One crossbow CREW is able to hold onto the railing and keeps their place, if not their footing; the other falls to the deck of the FLIGHTY FOUNDLING below, landing with a thud, dead. Two of the ballista CREW grab hold of the siege engine and dangle from it; the third screams as they fall into empty space off the Foundling's port side.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
[Squid ship Attack phase:]
The captain yells out "Cut us free! Get us the hell off that ram!"
The survivors on the forward deck haul themselves up nearby sections of rope and tie themselves to the ballista.
Belowdecks, the spelljammer and his guard start hacking at the ragged edges of the breached ceiling, trying to clear the wreckage holding the two ships together. [Scimitar: 18 for 2 Scimitar: 10 for 6]
The two survivors of the aft ballista climb up each side of the Foundling, toward the forecastle.
[Founding Attack phase:]
Erma heals one of the Foundling's ballista crew, then a dolorous bell sounds as she casts a spell at one of the githyanki hanging from that ship's remaining ballista. [Wis save 5]
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
like to say that if we ever make it to level 9, the monk's ability to run on vertical surfaces is going to be so nice with all these gravity shenanigans.
Xavier would leap off the foundling, into the thick of the crew (trying to attract the attention of the people so they wouldn't pay attention to the other members of our crew) that was guarding the now unconscious spelljammer. He hoists his staff, and takes a swing at the nearest crew member, aiming to connect with his temple. Then, expecting retaliation, he slowed his breathing, and drew upon whatever spiritual energy he had inside of him. He had never felt much of a connection with this "ki" his Masters had described at his monastery, but he drew upon it now, and his senses were heightened. He braced, expecting a counter-attack
(That was a really flavorful way of spending a ki point to use patient defense, letting me take the dodge action as the bonus action, granting me advantage on saving throws and everyone else having disadvantage against me. Although you probably knew that. Entering the "can't touch this" phase of maneuver Hammer time 😄)
Staff to hit:14
Staff damage:12
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
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WARNING WARNING A DM HAS SAID YOU CAN TRY. BEGIN PANICKING
Xavier turns to Rel, willing to give him a lot more than just his thoughts on the maneuver, but held his tongue. This was no time to bicker. He merely shrugged and spoke: sure Rel, go on ahead.
(Ooc I am a lot more excited about this. Let's frickin rogue one this squid)
Not really sure what else to do, Xavier decides to begin loading the ballista on board, and calls out to the rest of the crew: "Can someone give me a hand firing this?"
(I assume the enemy ship also has a ballista?)
Erma, seeing her crew making for firing our ballista, runs to sterncastle for a better view and shoots a guiding bolt at the ballista of the other ship, hopefully making it a prime target for the ballista of our ship.
Attack: 10 Damage: 10
(using the Inspiration granted before to re-roll the attack)
7
The enemy ballista is lit up, next attack against it has advantage.
After succeeding she drops prone on the sterncastle to make herself a smaller target for any counter-offensive.
[Not gonna lie, I kinda really want to see you try the "death from above" tactic. It's the sort of creative, out-of-the-plane thinking I want to reward :). Per the 'no facing' rule, no, rotation of the ship doesn't use up movement. But I think you do have to have the room to rotate into (and the ram attack does require that you've used movement I think). On the other hand, I spent like two hours earlier rotating ship silhouettes in Photoshop to try and figure out collision geometries, and just ended up with a headache, so screw it: I'm going to say that if you use your round 1 movement 'setting up' for the ram (in an abstract way we don't need to bother trying to put on the map), then you (or more specifically, Gloix) can use your round 2 movement to make the ram attack from any angle you like. I encourage you to think back to the slide on gravity planes in Saerthe's lecture yesterday...
Unless you say otherwise, I'll assume that's the plan?]
The Squid has two ballistae to your one; on other hand you have to mangonels to its one, which is probably why they seem to be trying to hold their current, too-close-for-mangonels, range—they've got you outgunned this close.
[OK, let's get this back on initiative track...]
Captain Rel issues his orders, and Gloix starts to get some distance and turn the ship around to bring the ram to bear.
[Squid Attack phase:]
The Squid ship fires both ballistae, one targeting your hull and the other your own ballista. Meanwhile the remaining two githyanki on the deck take crossbow shots at the crewmates manning your ballista.
[Ballista vs Hammerhead: 16 for 19 piercing damage
Ballista vs Ballista: 13 for 15 piercing damage
Light crossbow vs Crewmate 1: 17 for 5 piercing damage
Light crossbow vs Crewmate 2: 9 for 7 piercing damage]
[Foundling Attack phase:]
Erma lights up one of the enemy ballistae. Xavier loads a heavy bolt—longer than his Quarterstaff!—into your own ballista and steps back for the crew to aim and fire it.
[Since Xavier has already granted advantage to the ballista, I'll bot Roy to make a direct attack using the advantage from guiding bolt:
Fire bolt: 11 for 4 fire damage]
Finally the remaining crewmates fire the ballista and take some crossbow shots at the enemy crew.
[Ballista vs Ballista: 12 for 22 piercing damage
Light crossbow vs Githyanki 1: 15 for 3 piercing damage
Light crossbow vs Githyanki 2: 13 for 4 piercing damage
Light crossbow vs Githyanki 3: 6 for 9 piercing damage]
Both the Squid's ballistae bolts skim past your deck harmlessly, but one of the crossbow bolts strikes one of your crew in the shoulder. Erma, Roy and the ballista crew return fire, their combined hits doing a significant amount of damage, and in the case of Roy's fire bolt, setting the wooden body of the device alight! Two of your crossbowmen also deal some wounds to its crew.
[Squid Maneuvering phase:]
[Insight: 10]
.The githyanki captain orders her crew to maintain position and keep firing.
[Foundling Maneuvering phase: Captain Rel's turn!]
Round 2
The satyr grabs his pan-flute and plays a three-note trill, followed by "Attention all crew! Secure yourselves immediately to something sturdy! Brace for impact! Initiate maneuver 'Hammertime' on my mark.... Mark!"
Action: (Special Help action, CHA roll 24 (game log) +2 proficiency if indicated, to help Gloix with the ramming attack)
Bonus Action:
Erma rushes to the middle of the ship and fires two spells in quick succession:
* healing word at the injured crewmate for 8 healing
* toll the dead at one of the injured githyanki for 4 damage on WIS13 save (or none when saves)
she then squeezes herself under the stairs of the forecastle, back against the captain's quarters and holds on.
[Alright! Gloix, make the ram attack: with the captain's Help, that's a +10 with advantage to hit against the Squid's AC15; 16d10 damage on a hit. Then, the hardest part, describe exactly what angle you ram them from (e.g. from above or from the side; do you roll so that e.g. their bow or stern is "up" from your point of view?).]
Zaius bares his teeth in a grim smile as the Captain gives the order to ram the enemy ship, then calls additional orders down to the crew. “Brace yourselves. Prepare for impact. Make ready to board the enemy ship, we will take the fight to them! Mr. Xavier, lead the boarding party after we make contact”
Zaius tightens his grip on the rigging and watches the distance close between the two ships, preparing for the collision.
Ramming Attack Roll: 15. Damage on Hit: 93
Gloix guides the ship up and then swoops downwards, banking into a turn to try and bring the bow of the ship crashing into the deck of the other vessel. He tries to aim for right about where the helm would be, but anywhere will do for the crash!
The Foundling crashes down on the deck of the enemy vessel, aiming for where Gloix estimates the bridge is likely to be. Guy ropes snap as the blunt ram at the front of the Hammerhead hits just a little behind the mizzenmast, obliterating the aft ballista and penetrating deep into the cargo deck. The wood of both ships bends and splinters as the rigging tangles together—you've definitely taken some damage yourself, but the Squid absolutely got the worst of it.
Gravity seems to waver for a moment, before reasserting itself. The two ships are effectively a single object now, and the stronger gravity plane of the Foundling suppresses the Squid's own: the latter ship finds itself suddenly with its bow sticking up in the air at a 45 degree angle, its crew scrabbling to grab on to something lest they fall from the now-vertical deck.
[whole lot of dex saves:]
Captain 17
Crew, ballista, fore 1 12
Crew, ballista, fore 2 17
Crew, ballista, fore 3 8
Crew, ballista, aft 1 5
Crew, ballista, aft 2 3
Crew, ballista, aft 3 16
Crew, crossbow 1 12
Crew, crossbow 1 6
Crew, belowdecks 1 20
Crew, belowdecks 2 7
Crew, belowdecks 3 12
Spelljammer 4
[and some damage rolls:]
Crew, ballista, aft 1 14
Crew, ballista, aft 1 11
Crew, crossbow 2 12
Crew, belowdecks 2 18
Spelljammer 8
Rel cheers. "Well done, Gloix! That was legendary! Up and at 'em, Foundlings! ForToril!"
EXT. SQUID SHIP - STERNCASTLE
Three CREW operate the ship's AFT BALLISTA. The prow of the FLIGHTY FOUNDLING crashes down, destroying the ballista and sending shrapnel flying. A chunk of wood gravely injures one CREW; a metal BOLT impales a second CREW, pinning their corpse to the gunwhale. Then gravity inverts, and the two survivors fall to the underside of the Foundling's hull.
INT. SQUID SHIP - BRIDGE
The SPELLJAMMER sits at the ship's SPELLJAMMING HELM while a CREW stands guard. Suddenly the ceiling caves in as the FLIGHTY FOUNDLING's BLUNT RAM penetrates the SQUID SHIP. The CREW dives out of the way, but the SPELLJAMMER is thrown from the helm, hitting the bulkhead with a sickening snap of bone.
EXT. SQUID SHIP - RIGGING
The CAPTAIN dodges as fragments of spar and mast fall around her. Rigging tangles around her but she avoids injury.
INT. SQUID SHIP - CARGO HOLD
A single CREW stands guard at the bottom of the stairs leading to the hold. Gravity shifts, and the CREW falls the length of the hold, impacting the stern bulkhead head first, with a fatal splatter of blood and gore.
EXT. SQUID SHIP - FORECASTLE
Three CREW operate the ship's FORE BALLISTA, while two more CREW armed with CROSSBOWS stand at the gunwhale. Gravity shifts. One crossbow CREW is able to hold onto the railing and keeps their place, if not their footing; the other falls to the deck of the FLIGHTY FOUNDLING below, landing with a thud, dead. Two of the ballista CREW grab hold of the siege engine and dangle from it; the third screams as they fall into empty space off the Foundling's port side.
YOOOO THAT WAS SICK
[Squid ship Attack phase:]
The captain yells out "Cut us free! Get us the hell off that ram!"
The survivors on the forward deck haul themselves up nearby sections of rope and tie themselves to the ballista.
Belowdecks, the spelljammer and his guard start hacking at the ragged edges of the breached ceiling, trying to clear the wreckage holding the two ships together.
[Scimitar: 18 for 2
Scimitar: 10 for 6]
The two survivors of the aft ballista climb up each side of the Foundling, toward the forecastle.
[Founding Attack phase:]
Erma heals one of the Foundling's ballista crew, then a dolorous bell sounds as she casts a spell at one of the githyanki hanging from that ship's remaining ballista.
[Wis save 5]
[Roy, Xavier and Zaius are up!]
like to say that if we ever make it to level 9, the monk's ability to run on vertical surfaces is going to be so nice with all these gravity shenanigans.
Xavier would leap off the foundling, into the thick of the crew (trying to attract the attention of the people so they wouldn't pay attention to the other members of our crew) that was guarding the now unconscious spelljammer. He hoists his staff, and takes a swing at the nearest crew member, aiming to connect with his temple. Then, expecting retaliation, he slowed his breathing, and drew upon whatever spiritual energy he had inside of him. He had never felt much of a connection with this "ki" his Masters had described at his monastery, but he drew upon it now, and his senses were heightened. He braced, expecting a counter-attack
(That was a really flavorful way of spending a ki point to use patient defense, letting me take the dodge action as the bonus action, granting me advantage on saving throws and everyone else having disadvantage against me. Although you probably knew that. Entering the "can't touch this" phase of maneuver Hammer time 😄)
Staff to hit:14
Staff damage:12