Pizazz's Ravenloft and Beyond

"Mordekai's" rolls:

Deception: 13 , Insight: 9 

Meepo was just starting to reach for his pack, planning on pulling out the book, when the wizard gave that evil grin on how he hoped the book would make its way back to him. Thinking better of bringing it out, Meepo crosses his arms over his thin chest instead.

Insight : 5 vs. 13

Deception:  16 vs. 9

Zikram's eyes show that he is very pleased with himself and has clearly figured something out.  Oozing self satisfaction he says, "So, how long have you had the book then? What did he promise you? Anything your heart desires perhaps?  Ha! Right, that weakling genie couldn't summon a wish to save his life. Hand it over, and perhaps there will be no trouble for you lot."

Ulthan remembers something about knowing how the cannon works, and something about point this end towards enemy. Then he remembers what one of the wise women said that anything that says point this end towards enemy is usually dangerous at both ends. So he tries to ponder how to best stop that thing from blasting him and the cat based on what he learned about it. Would stuffing a skeleton inside work since I'm guessing spirit won't work and the others will likely protest too much. A tent in the whole or water on it to zap the operator?

 Lionel shrugged with a small laugh, still demonstrating only friendliness. "It was rather foolish to hope to deceive you. Yes, we did encounter the genie too, and that truly piqued our group's curiosity. You are right, he was the one talking about him being the mastermind behind your discoveries. Combine it with what your ex-rival was saying - and here we are to see who was right. However, we simply can not hand you this book." He shrugged again. "But would you satisfy our curiosity - after all, we came all this way - and say if freeing him possible at all? If only to prove who is stronger. It would be so interesting to see a battle between two so powerful beings. You made that scary machine of yours, surely you could take him down in one shot?" (Just in case and out of general precaution, Lionel would try to stay out of the direct trajectory line of the canon-like structure and keep others away too)

(If needed Persuasion: 10 (should Mordekai help, second roll: 14 ))

Ketch, bored of the talk and unsure what it’s hoped to accomplish, rushes forward and attempts to grapple the wizard.  Full on total bear hug and lip locked grapple!  Ketch wants his big ole Half Orc tongue so deep in the wizard’s throat that they can’t even think of spell words, none the less utter them!

Roll initiative everyone. 

The room is 115 feet long, 60 feet wide, and lit with magical glowing stones. The group is at the North east corner of the room. 

55 feet south of the north wall, and 55 feet west wall is a 10 x 10 foot sized glowing crystal. Zikram stands just in front of this. He is flanked by an air and water elemental. (sorry, their icons should be larger, since they're large). 

So, Zikram is over 40 feet away. The cannon is almost 30 feet long at the end of the room, and on some sort of swivel base. It seems to move with Zikram's arm, and you see he is holding some sort of wand like device in his hand. Where he points his hand, the cannon points. The wand like thing has buttons on it. 

The skeleton horde, along with Meepo and Ulthan are up the giant sized stairs a ways. (10 feet).  They have line of sight to the room, but their ground is considered "difficult terrain" for moving.

Ketch, Lionel, and Mordekai are on the basement floor. 

Squares are 10 foot squares.

(given this information, if Ketch would like to modify his initial action, he may, since he knows he won't be able to get to and grapple the wizard before he can react)

Zikram initiative: 5

Mordekai initiative: 11

Water elemental init: 13

Air elemental init: 25

Ketch initiative: 15

Will modify slightly - On his turn he’ll use about half his movement, bonus action Misty Step to be in front of him, then attempt the grapple with his action.

Strength (Athletics) check: 19
…

Lionel Initiative: 9

At 10, seeing no good cover and being ground zero for possible kabloie, Ulthan rushes into the room across the north wall as fast as he can motioning the cat to follow up him and move from under the table to under the table (of note he's not impeded by rough terrain). That's all for my first action, not entirely sure what's happening but if that guy's moving then the expected is about to become a harsh reality.

On the bright side, with these initiative rolls it won't be us that starts the fight...

Meepo Initiative : 12

(I'm giving Ketch a surprise round for initiative combat....)

Lionel is still in the middle of speaking when Ketch surges forward, his patience for talking gone, and decides to deal with this wizard himself.  After a few quick steps past the party his final step has him vanish entirely in a fizzling pop and appear directly in front of Zikram who's eyes are opening in surprise.  He grabs at the wizard, hoping to restrain him. 

Acrobatics vs DC 16 : 12 

Ketch grabs a hold of the man and attempts to cover his mouth, the two immediately wrestling with each other as the wizard shouts in alarm. 

The Air Elemental lunges forward, the wind tearing and pulling at Ketch attempting to break his hold on the wizard. 

Ketch, Strength check to maintain grapple vs Elementals Strength Check:  4 

Ulthan and Mordekai are up.

The wizard has 75% cover from Ketch, whom he's wrestling with.

Initiative Order: 

Air Elemental 25 | Ulthan 18 | Mordekai 16 | Zikram 14 | Meepo 12 | Water Elemental 12 | Lionel 9 |  Ketch 6 

Strength check vs Elemental: 19 

Im just assuming he succeeds…

Seeing the wizard grappled for now, Ulthan will move across the north wall as before, but also put two arrows, one in each eye of the air elemental. Or somewhere close by. 
16 Damage: 6 rerolling damage on 1-3, new roll takes effect even if lower 7
31 Damage: 14

Sigh, guess it doesn't like posting a new roll on same line in edit mode, my bad.

Ulthan straffes across the northern part of the room, loosing two arrows that lash out across the room, but rather than striking the elemental they bounce off of something just before the elemental, bouncing away harmlessly.

Mordekai straffes the other way, south down the wall, and unleashes two blasts, attempting to strike Zikram, despite Ketch's presence, but both of his blasts strike something as well between him and the elemental, the magic puffing away harmlessly. 

Zikram struggles to get free from Ketch as Ketch tries to jam his hand into the wizards face, but he manages a quick word anyway, and vanishes, appearing 30 feet away.  He backs away further, and holds out his strange wand thing, pointing it at Ketch, and pushing a button. The cannon turns and aims at Ketch and a eruption of cold elemental energy blasts across the room at Ketch. 

Hit or miss, the remnants of the shot seem to hit some wedge shaped space between Ketch and the rest of the room, an invisible wall that seems to block the lower part of the room.

Ketch, DC 17 Dex save.  22 cold damage, half on a save. 

Then Zikram hurls a blast of fire at Ketch.  Attack: 24 Damage: 24 fire damage.

Zikram teleported 30 feet back, then walked another 30 feet further back, to almost the far corner of the room.  He is almost 95 feet away from Meepo now.

Meepo's action.

Air Elemental 25 | Zikram Lair action 20 | Ulthan 18 | Mordekai 16 | Zikram 14 | Meepo 12 | Water Elemental 12 | Lionel 9 |  Ketch 6 

Two spell attacks... nice.

Ketch Dex save: 15

Attack from that and fire blast deducted.

For Meepo's action... Would Meepo have been able to notice Mordekai's spell blasts, the giantkin's arrows, and even the canon blast being blocked by some invisible barrior? If so, does he have any idea of where that barrior is? I assume the wizard, the two elementals, the gem, and the canon are all on the far side of the barrior from him currently...

Correct. You’d guess it’s a wall of force.  

If meepo can get within range of the wall of fource, he would misty step to the far side of it. If he doesn't have that sort of movement, then he would walk up to his current side, or as close as he can get to it this round.

If able to misty step to the far side, he would cast ray of frost targetting the crystal orb.

To hit: 24 Damage: 11

If unable to get to the far side of the wall of force, then he will simply stand near the wall's space, unable to do anything else until next round.

Regardless of the above, he does not have his skeletons shoot, as it would simply be a waste of arrows. He does have them spread out, one group along one wall, another along the far wall from the first, and the last group staying by the end of the hall. (Hoping they can split into 3 groups, one along either side wall, on that side of the wall of force, and one staying at the end of the hall.

Because Meepo is 10 feet up the "giant" stairs, it's takes a few extra moments for him to descend into the room, hopping down on the floor, then making his way across the room.  He spends his whole action moving into position, ready to strike next round.  The skeletons also all clamber down the stairs, and begin splitting into two groups heading either way. But they were even further up the stairs so as they spill out into the room, they're still all clustered in the north east corner. 

Meanwhile, back in the center of the room, the water elemental leaps onto Ketch. 

Ketch, Strength save, DC 15 or take 14 bludgeoning damage, grappled, restrained and unable to breath.

Lionel, Ketch, you're both up!

Air Elemental 25 | Zikram Lair action 20 | Ulthan 18 | Mordekai 16 | Zikram 14 | Meepo 12 | Water Elemental 12 | Lionel 9 |  Ketch 6