[Let's Play] Revenge of the Red Dragon: Raven Quickblade

[Beroli]

Gulping a little, you enter the chamber of the magical tree a second time. It doesn't seem so lovely now! Taking a deep breath, you reach out to grab another item. Suddenly the Imp pops up before you!

"You may not be long on brains, kid, but you're courageous, I'll give you that!" The Imp shakes his head. "It took a lotta guts to come back in here, after what you went through the first time. Look, save yourself some trouble. I'll still let you shoot at ol' Leroy, if you want. Or--if that don't appeal to you--there's this bum that's been giving me a hard time. Take care of him for me, and we'll call ourselves even."

Go to Leroy the Dragon?
Fight the "bum"?
Insist on taking an item from the tree instead of either of those options (the pendant?)?

[deaddmwalking]

Fight the bum.

[Beroli]

The "bum" turns out to be a skilled swordsman!

Your allies cannot help you. He has 22 Hit Points and does 6 damage on an 18, 19, or 20, but he does no damage on any other result.

Raven hits for 11 damage. The swordsman misses.
Raven misses. The swordsman misses.
Raven hits for 11 damage, killing the swordsman.

As Flametongue arrives at the Knights' Castle, will you go to the Witches' Brambles or the Thieves' Caves?

[deaddmwalking]

I thought there would be something more - oh well. Let's pull a Conan and spend the night in the witch's arms. To the witchy brambles.

[Beroli]

The Imp is not the helpful sort.

There's no way around this huge bramble patch. Gathering your allies, you begin to hack your way through it. Suddenly you are amazed to discover a lovely woman trapped in a prison of brambles!

"Free me, brave knight," she cries, "and all that I have will be yours."

This could be a trap! After all, this place did show on your magical map as Witch's Brambles! And Dad has often warned you that beautiful women would be your downfall. Still, it will be hard leaving this lovely woman behind!

Start hacking at the brambles?
Continue toward your castle instead of helping her?

[deaddmwalking]

Let's hack. And slash.

[Beroli]

You hack at the brambles and suddenly discover the brambles are hacking back!

The Brambles have 22 Hit Points and deal 9 damage per hit. How will you fight them?

[deaddmwalking]

Let's have everyone attack with physical attacks in round 1 (when the brambles automatically miss). Euras will use the sword. Lions attacking as well.

If the brambles have fewer than 10 hit points after round 1, we'll do the same in round 2.

[Beroli]

Raven would hit for double damage, but something causes him to miss instead. Phantast misses. Scorch hits, twice, for 4 damage each time. Euras misses. All three lions hit for 4 damage each.
Raven hits, finishing off the brambles.

You discover the woman is a sorceress! In return for her freedom, she restores all the Hit Points of one surviving ally (none are injured so this is wasted). She offers to lead you through the bramble patch, but warns that you will face more dangers. She will help you with her magic. (She has 28 Hit Points and does 10 magical damage per hit, and will fight at your side for remaining fights in Witch's Brambles.)

"Black Knight! This day you die!" shouts a Couatl!

The Couatl has 39 Hit Points and knows the following spells, which it will cast on even-numbered rounds:
Fireball: does 5 hit points of damage if it hits.
Harm: does 4 hit points of damage to each member of your group if it hits.
Charm: Causes whichever ally has the least remaining hit points to turn and attack you if it hits.
Sticks to Snakes: Automatically causes three sticks to turn into snakes and immediately attack. They have 2 hit points each and have a poisonous bite like the couatl (see below).
The couatl attacks physically on odd-numbered rounds. If the couatl or one of its snakes hits someone, they are reduced to half their current hit points (round up). If they already have one hit point, they die.

How will you fight?

[deaddmwalking]

Round 1 - Raven will use the Ebony Dust.

That is all.

[Beroli]

The Couatl is now your mind-controlled ally.

There are two paths before you.

Go right?
Go left?

[deaddmwalking]

Left it is

[Beroli]

Your neighbor--a Valley Elf Lord--blocks your path!

"Stop right there, Raven!" the Elf Lord shouts, aiming his magical bow at your heart. "Your father charged me a toll for traveling through his lands. I'm going to make you pay as well! Will it be in blood or a magic item? I don't care."

You wish for once Dad could get along with the neighbors! All this when you're so close to home! It's only one magic item, but you dislike paying this arrogant Elf Lord anything!

Pay the toll and get home quickly? (Choose which magic item to give him.)
Refusing to tolerate such insolence, draw your sword?

[deaddmwalking]

The 'get home quickly' is probably misleading but I am so close.... Still, I'll take the gamble. I'm willing to give up the ioun stone.

I would be willing to give up one lion, but I don’t think I can - it's all three, right? If that's the case we'll do the ioun stone and see what type of bastard my neighbor is.

[Beroli]

You can give him one lion if you wish. He takes the lion and lets you pass. The Sorceress parts company with you at the edge of the Witch's Brambles.

Your castle is in sight. Unfortunately, a familiar massive red shape is between you and it. There is no retreating this time.

Flametongue acts first.

[deaddmwalking]

I think I'll use my 1/adventure spell negation for anything that does 20 or more... Or if it applies to everyone, I'd use it to stop some type of flame that does 10 damage to everyone.

[Beroli]

Gridelin abruptly casts two spells. (Because he is still with you rather than being called to Flametongue's side, you are not prepared for his action and so he is able to cast two spells for Flametongue before the battle starts.) One of them causes your lions to fall asleep (they are out of the fight).

Flametongue's group consists of:

Flametongue, Hit Points 67/67. His claws and fangs do 11 damage per hit. He has other options as well.
Sistoo the Mantis Warrior, Hit Points 37/37. His glaive does 9 damage per hit, and if he misses he throws a Throwing Wedge which automatically does 3 damage.
The Iron Statue, Hit Points 11/11. Its fists do 10 damage per hit.
Gridelin.

Flametongue's group is affected by two contradictory effects: one causes them to auto-hit, the other (your cloak) to auto-miss. They cancel out.

Flametongue casts a spell which misses.
Gridelin casts a Winds spell causing your entire group to fall down, missing their next turn, and take 2 damage. (Do you wish to use your helmet to cancel it?)
Sistoo hits for 9 damage. (Who takes it? Cannot choose a lion, they're out of the fight completely.)
The Iron Statue hits for 10 damage. (Who takes it?)

[deaddmwalking]

I'll go ahead and use the helmet to negate Gridelin's spell.

All 19 damage will be applied to the Couatl.

[Beroli]

Then your group is up.

[deaddmwalking]

We'll do the following:

Raven will attack with his sword.
Phantast will use the Drum
Scorch will use Wall of Fire
Euras will cast Wind Gusts targeting Flametongue
Couatl will cast Stick to Snakes

[Beroli]

Raven swings his sword and misses. Phantast beats on a drum, somehow not lighting it on fire, but nothing happens. Scorch casts a Wall of Fire which misses Flametongue, hits Sistoo for 5 damage, and misses the Iron Statue. Euras casts a spell that fails. The Couatl casts a spell that turns three sticks into snakes, each of which has 2 Hit Points, each of which promptly bites the Iron Statue and hits.

Flametongue casts a spell which puts Euras to sleep (Euras is out of the fight). Sistoo misses with his spear and throws a Throwing Wedge, doing 3 damage to someone. The Iron Statue hits someone for 10 damage. Gridelin casts a Forget spell and you all forget that you're fighting and miss this Combat Turn.

Flametongue tries to cast another spell but fails. Sistoo misses with his spear and throws a Throwing Wedge, doing 3 damage to someone. The Iron Statue misses. Gridelin casts a Distortion spell; Scorch is unable to act for the next two Combat Turns.

You (except for Scorch) are up. Who takes the damage and what do you do next?

[deaddmwalking]

Well hopefully their best attacks are getting used up.

Euras and Scorch will both take a hit for 3 damage. Raven will take the 10.

Raven and Euras will attack with Swords. Phantast will beat the drum again. The Coautl will cast Harm. The snakes will attack again.

[Beroli]

Euras is out of the fight; to not delay too much for a 3-damage hit, I'm treating it as going to Raven.

Flametongue casts Fireball and hits: 5 damage each to Raven, Phantast, the Couatl, and the three snakes, killing the snakes. Sistoo misses with his glaive and automatically hits with a Throwing Wedge for 3 damage. The Iron Statue misses. Gridelin casts Fumble; Raven drops his sword and needs to spend the next round picking it up.

Phantast and the Couatl are up, and choose who gets hit by the Throwing Wedge.

[deaddmwalking]

Phantast will take that hit. He'll use the drum again.

Couatl will cast Charm (presuming that makes one of Flametongue's allies attack Flametongue).

[Beroli]

Phantast beats on the drum and nothing happens.

The Coatl casts Charm and the Iron Statue turns to attack Flametongue, and hits for 10 damage.

Flametongue breathes fire and hits for 18 damage. Sistoo swings his glaive and hits for 9 damage. Gridelin uses Forget-Me-Not Dragon Breath, but it fails.

Who is hit by Flametongue's fire (cannot choose Scorch), and who is hit by Sistoo's Glaive? And then you are up again with whoever has survived.