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Post by Mushgnome on Feb 21, 2013 17:19:25 GMT -6
Dusk, April 29 It takes all day, but eventually, making several trips with their single ferry, the party and their dinosaur steeds succeed in reaching the Island of the Giant Head. They've fought their way past giant snakes, zombies, cannibals, the hydraken, and more, but finally they have reached their goal! Once the head is recovered and transported back to Arkham, our heroes will gain acceptance in the academic circles of Miskatonic University, including access to its famed library. The ancient stone head is lumpy and misshapen, covered in aeons of moss and lichen. It rises approximately 5 meters (16 feet) from the swamp and regards the harbor inscrutably with its blank eyes. It appears to be wearing some sort of crown, though the points have been worn to nubs by the sands of time. The three Quarry Brothers, eager to earn their pay, examine the site and place explosive charges to free the head from the surrounding bedrock. "All clear!" is the signal. With the first explosion, something goes terribly wrong. There is a hollow metallic "boom" and the head begins to shake! Rocks tumble away to reveal the great head is connected to a giant neck, which strains to free itself from the rock. A giant hand punches through the earth, crushing Rod Quarry in its grasp before his startled brothers' eyes... the colossus rises from its slumber, and it's pissed! Roll call! Please post here if you wish to participate in the colossus battle, and briefly state which dinosaurs, henchmen, and NPCs are under your command. Then I'll roll some hit points for y'all. No help from the DM on this one---I will not be controlling or assuming actions by anyone other than the colossus this time around; it's strictly DM vs. players. This encounter will be a true test of your military leadership and mastery of the Chainmail system.  For those of you with Hero-tier characters who might be considering Fantasy Combat, the colossus attacks and defends as a Giant (hero needs 11+ to hit on 2d6; giant needs 6+ to hit hero). |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 21, 2013 17:32:00 GMT -6
Apothecaria will look for places in the swamp that look especially mucky and deep ... she will attempt to goad the stone monster into following her there and (it is to be hoped) get bogged down.
Her henchmen will accompany her and attempt to protect her. Grekk she will send into hiding.
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Post by Mushgnome on Feb 21, 2013 19:41:28 GMT -6
A battle of the wits! I approve! I recall Apothecaria lost her Red Lieutenant on the barge and now has 4 henchmen; is that correct? |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 21, 2013 19:43:24 GMT -6
A battle of the wits! I approve! I recall Apothecaria lost her Red Lieutenant on the barge and now has 4 henchmen; is that correct? Correct. She'll be missed but remembered with great honour. |
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Post by ehiker133 on Feb 21, 2013 20:22:20 GMT -6
Shade of the Evermore grins as he holds his arms out, each hand clenched into a fist. He clenches his teeth and concentrates, forcing a pair of bone clubs to extend up out of his fists, ending in large, smooth balls.
**My Deep One Minion, stay with me. Sgt. Cannibal, take the Howda Pistol and the Fine Brown Cannibals. Work with Apothecaria, luring the giant into the deep marshes. Have the Cannibals focus their attack on one leg. Try to cripple it.**
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Post by crusssdaddy on Feb 21, 2013 23:59:46 GMT -6
OOC: Do we have any explosives left over?
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Post by Mushgnome on Feb 22, 2013 0:51:45 GMT -6
OOC: Do we have any explosives left over? I believe Breath has been holding onto an explosive charge for quite some time... Does this mean Fated to Die is in the house?  |
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Post by crusssdaddy on Feb 22, 2013 3:07:13 GMT -6
Yep, Fated and whoever of his men still live are here... and diving for cover in a direction 90 degrees from the one the Colossus is being drawn in.
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Post by Mushgnome on Feb 22, 2013 13:34:32 GMT -6
Good ol' reliable Fated to Die! lol
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Post by ehiker133 on Feb 22, 2013 13:51:54 GMT -6
Yep, Fated and whoever of his men still live are here... and diving for cover in a direction 90 degrees from the one the Colossus is being drawn in. lol. |
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Post by Mushgnome on Feb 22, 2013 14:10:40 GMT -6
I am wondering, what type of diversion/distraction would catch the attention of a raging colossus?
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Post by ehiker133 on Feb 22, 2013 14:37:53 GMT -6
A howdah pistol to the face? Sick 'em, Sgt. Cannibal! |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 22, 2013 15:50:35 GMT -6
I am wondering, what type of diversion/distraction would catch the attention of a raging colossus? Vibration! Apothecaria and her troops will stamp their feet, clang their spears against rocks ... anything to make ground trembles the rock behemoth can detect. The will use a steady, driving rhythm so there is no mistaking the disturbance is anything but artificial in nature. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 22, 2013 17:33:43 GMT -6
Henchmen 2-4 approach the colossus - they climb a nearby knoll or hill, preferably between 10' and 16' from the colossus. (Wizard-killer and PoH stay among the others.) PoH instructs 2-4 to scream, shout, throw bits of rubble, etc., and, if the colossus comes toward the knoll, to flee.
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kipper
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Post by kipper on Feb 23, 2013 0:55:37 GMT -6
Breath is here, along with her three henchwomen Dream Stalker, Blasphemous Blade, and Devil Maw... Breath is currently also in control of the dinosaur Little Brother, with her two Fighter Henchwomen. I have not yet decided where Dream Stalker is located, probably on Big Mama.
... And yeah, as soon as I read about the colossus I was already thinking this would be the perfect opportunity for Breath to use her explosives... Of course, she'll have to be careful not to use it too close to the head, we still need to bring that part back ;D! Maybe wait until you guys lure it into the mire, then stick the explosives on its chest...
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Post by Mushgnome on Feb 23, 2013 9:09:10 GMT -6
So far, the following forces are in play for the colossus battle:
Apothecaria and 4 henchmen: attempting to divert the colossus onto mucky ground
Grekk: hiding
the hero Shade of Evermore and his Deep One Minion: action undeclared, commanding the cannibals
Sgt. Cannibal and 7 cannibals: firing howdah pistols, in conjunction with Apothecaria's plan
the hero Fated to Die and 4 ulfire men: hiding
The Preservation of Humanity and his ant Wizard-Killer: action undeclared, sticking with the main group (safety in numbers)
Henchmen 2-4: assisting Apothecaria's plan by shouting and throwing things from a knoll at 15' range
the hero Breath of New Moon, her 3 henchwomen, and the dinosaur Little Brother: hatching a scheme to attach explosives to the colossus' chest.
I will wait another 24-48 hours for you to "place all the chess pieces on the board" after which time we'll say that any undeclared PCs/henchmen/dinosaurs are still taking the last ferry over, and we'll proceed with round 1.
The colossus is still in the process of freeing itself from the earth. So far its head, neck, shoulders, and left hand are free. Its exact height/size is still yet to be determined, but based on the scale of the parts you've seen, 100 feet is not unreasonable!
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Post by crusssdaddy on Feb 23, 2013 9:59:56 GMT -6
"100 feet is not unreasonable"
Fated digs frantically into the soil, attempting to burrow his way to the teleporter ring and escape.
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Post by crusssdaddy on Feb 23, 2013 11:31:24 GMT -6
[Seriously guys, the ring is looking like a great option right now.]
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Post by ehiker133 on Feb 23, 2013 11:37:11 GMT -6
(We've been working up to this for months... Not sure I have the heart to bail at this point...)
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Post by Deleted on Feb 23, 2013 12:53:31 GMT -6
Preservation tells Wizard-killer to stay well back, behind the other PCs. He asks the PCs in a seemingly-unaffected tone: "Do you happen to have darts for a blowgun? I'm afraid I have none."
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Post by ehiker133 on Feb 23, 2013 14:04:19 GMT -6
**Quick, before he is fully out of the ground. Light and place the explosives on his back.**
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kipper
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Post by kipper on Feb 23, 2013 15:59:00 GMT -6
Yes, if the creature is still not yet free, Breath will try to attach the explosives ASAP!!
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kipper
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Post by kipper on Feb 23, 2013 16:05:20 GMT -6
Our best bet is probably a large frontal assault to distract it (missile attacks should be fine, probably no need to get within reach of its arm), while Breath sneaks up behind and places the explosives on its back.
Breath so commands her henchwomen (to attack with the howdah guns atop the dino), while she dismounts, hastily prepares the explosives, and circles around behind the colossus, hopefully unseen. I'm thinking the ideal spot for the explosives would be the back of the neck, hopefully the explosives willl dislodge the head and kill the thing.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 23, 2013 16:18:17 GMT -6
OOC: Sorry for the prolonged absence. Work and other thing have been a bear.
Is it to late to jump into the fray? OOC
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Post by Mushgnome on Feb 23, 2013 19:10:37 GMT -6
OOC: Sorry for the prolonged absence. Work and other thing have been a bear. Is it to late to jump into the fray? OOC Not too late at all, jump right in! I do not want to rush this particular combat; would rather y'all take your time and think through the strategery. |
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Post by Mushgnome on Feb 24, 2013 10:47:04 GMT -6
Hit Points for the Colossus Battle:
Apothecaria: 10
Apothecaria's 4 henchmen: 1hd normal men
Grekk: 22
Shade of Evermore: 20
Deep One Minion: 3
Sgt. Cannibal: 9
7 cannibals: 1hd normal men
Fated to Die: 13
4 ulfire men: 1hd normal men
The Preservation of Humanity: 4
Wizard-Killer: 7
PoH's henchmen 2-4: 1hd normal men
Breath of New Moon: 27
Dream Stalker: 10
Devil Maw: 4
Blasphemous Blade: 2
Little Brother: 26
Loyal Beast: 3
LAST CALL to participate in the Colossus Battle... any more PCs/NPCs/henchmen/dinosaurs you wish to join the fight? Any additional strategy/actions? I will start rolling dice tomorrow/Monday. Combatants not on the list by then won't get to participate. I will not be controlling/assuming/NPCing any members of your team for this fight; you must explicitly state all attacks/actions!
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Post by Deleted on Feb 24, 2013 19:50:17 GMT -6
Grand directs the Punjabis to use some of the ropes to try and lasso the left arm to keep the statue from using it to attack/dig itself out .
Grand will ride in close and discharge his howdah gun into the stone face.
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Post by crusssdaddy on Feb 24, 2013 20:43:22 GMT -6
OOC: Is the crown separate from the Colossus' head (i.e. can it be removed) or is the head/crown all sculpted from one piece of stone?
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Post by ehiker133 on Feb 24, 2013 20:56:30 GMT -6
Andre the Gigantosaurus will join the battle.
Before the colossus gets any further out of the ground, Shade will direct Andre to use his breath weapon on the head.
Might or might not do anything, but it is worth a try...
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Post by Deleted on Feb 24, 2013 22:17:19 GMT -6
Loyal Beast of the Unknown Master shouts out orders "Big Al attack that beast as best as you can! Wraiths swirl and attack around it's face and head to harry and distract it!
Loyal beast not being one who has ever cared much for his own safety runs and attempts to climb onto the beast hoping he can climb up and either do devastating damage or distract it enough for his companions to defeat.
OOC: Very sorry for my lack of posting recently it's been crazy lately. Something tells me this is going to end badly but I think it's fitting of what Loyal Beast would do.
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