The adventurers get the jump on their would be ambushers, leaving a couple of them much worse for the wear. However, their concentrated numbers proves to be an issue for some in the group. One bladeling, covered in eye stalks, stairs at Torqua, UM, and Um with its large central eye. Torqua manages to stare him down without flinching, but Fhangrim's companions are caught entranced in the creature's hipnotic look and shake their heads in an attempt to dislodge themselves from the madness creeping into their minds.
In the tunnel just north of Haaku, Fhangrim's spirit companion, Usra Maximus, is confronted with two altered creatures. One, a Goliath, is spirit-like himself as he fades in and out of existance. The fading brute stabs out at Maximus, but finds only air. He apparently did not anticpate having the tables turned on him! The other creature, a Bladeling covered in jibbery jabbery mouths, making nonsense noises and insults in various languages that confuses the senses, ignores Fhangrim's Spirit companion, running past him and after Haaku. However, Haaku was more than a match for the clumsy Bladeling, who's attacks were so far off of the mark as to seem like he was trying not to hit the desert warrior.
To the east, Leather tried his best to survive the onslaught of three very different creatures. A goliath slapped at Leather with whip-like tentacles that left deep gashes in his arms and face. As an added surprise, Leather noted after feeling their sting, the tentacles were coated in some kind of liquid that caused Leather's mind to race, slow down, and perceive things in opposite colors and oposite directions! It only lasted for a few seconds, but it took a toll on the warriors mind. What really snapped him out of his maddened delirium was the sudden chomping bite of a blubbery, spirit-like dire rat, and the near miss of a rusty blade to his cornea, thrust at him by a bloated Bladeling. Looking down at the bite wound on his leg, Leather noted that it was already starting to puss with infection.
From the east, another malformed Dire Rat charged the Marvelous Maiden Mage, it's multitudinous eye stalks and blubbering mouths a disgusting site. Not quite as disgusting a sight as it was a painful feeling though, she discovers, as multiple mouths latch on to her flesh and start ripping away small chunks of skin from her legs. Kicking it back a few steps, Torqua's mind, too, began to wobble slightly, as the random sounds and insults coming from the dire rat (as well as few strangely paired barnyard animal sounds) caused her senses to lack the sharpness of reality.
At the southern end of the field of battle, Fhangrim fought a flying foe. Frequent flurries from flailing, floundering, and flapping found Fhangrim furiously fragile.
Ilex and Noctua, keen on staying within the office area, managed not to be seen, or at the least not targeted, by the many maddening creatures.
[sblock=Actions]
B1
-- Move: Moves to J10
-- Standard: Uses Maddening Stare (close blast 3) vs Torqua, Ursa Minor, and Ursa Major; hits 11 will vs Torqua (miss), 25 will vs Um (hit), and 19 will vs UM (hit) for 12 damage and ongoing 5 madness points (save ends).
G1
-- Standard: Uses Penetrating Spear vs UX. Hits
10 Reflex (miss).
B2
-- Moves to E5. If this provokes an OpAtk from UX, feel free to take it, [MENTION=78756]Son of Meepo[/MENTION]. Remember that UX takes a -2 penalty to attacks while in B2's aura (which will include the OpAtk).
-- Standard: Charges to E8, attacking Haaku with rusty blade, hitting
7 AC (miss). (IC is obviously not liking me too much today...)
G2
-- Standard: Tentacle attacks vs Leather: Melee 1 (two attacks), hits reflex
21 for 6 damage and reflex 19 for 7 damage. When both hit, this activated G2's Maddening Spear quality, which allows him to expend an encounter power to give the target of his tentacle attack 2d6 MP. G2 expends Brutal Spear, giving Leather 11 madness points.
-- Move: Shifts to M7
B3
-- Move: Moves to L7
-- Standard: Rusty Blade vs Leather; Hits AC
8 (miss).
D2
Start of Turn: Regen 2 heals D2 for 2 hp.
-- Standard: Charges Leather, attacking with bite, hitting AC
24 for 10 damage. At the end of the encounter, Leather must make a saving throw vs Dire Rat Filth Fever.
D1
-- Move: Move to J9.
-- Standard: Charges to H10, attacking Torqua with bite, hitting AC
16 for 9 damage.
D3
-- Standard: Tentacle attack vs Fhangrim: melee 1 (two attacks); hits reflex
24 for 8 damage and hits reflex 14 (miss).
[/sblock]
[sblock=Status]
[sblock=Badguys]
NOTE: see sheet 3 in
map doc for creature Hit Points and defenses
B1 - Status: Normal; Resources: Maddening Stare (
used; rech. 5); NOTE: This creature does not give combat advantage when flanked.
B2 - Status: Normal; Resources: Words of Insanity (unused); NOTE: Has aura 1: -2 atk while in the aura; gain 1 MP if you miss an attack while in this aura.
B3 - Status: Normal; Resources: Split Personality (unused); NOTE: Has Regen 2
G1 - Status: Normal; Resources: Penetrating Spear (
used), Brutal Spear (unused); NOTE: This creature is insubstantial vs non-psychic attacks
G2 - Status:
Bloodied; Resources: Penetrating Spear (unused), Brutal Spear (
used); NOTE: Has Tentacle Attack MBA (one creature; two attacks; +6 vs reflex, 1d6+5 dmg; if both hit, creature can expend an encounter power to give target of tentacle attack 2d6 MP)
D1 - Status: Normal; Resources: None; NOTE: This creature does not give combat advantage when flanked. Has aura 1: -2 atk while in the aura; gain 1 MP if you miss an attack while in this aura.
D2 - Status: Normal; Resources: None; NOTE: Has Regen 2
D3 - Status:
Bloodied; Resources: None; NOTE: Has Tentacle Attack MBA (one creature; two attacks; +6 vs reflex, 1d6+5 damage; if both hit, target gains 5 MP), Has fly speed 4 (hover)
[/sblock]
[sblock=PCs]
NOTE: see sheet 3 in
map doc for PC hit points, madness points, and surge use. For ease of use, I will indicate here if a character needs healing when they are at or below 1/4 hp.
Leather - Status:
Bloodied; End of Encounter: Save vs Dire Rat Filth Fever
Haaku - Status: -1 surge from Dire Rat Filth Fever
Torqua - Status: Normal
Ilex - Status: Normal
-- Noctua - Status: Normal
Fhangrim - Status: Normal
-- U. Major - Status: Ongoing 5 MP (save ends)
-- U. Minor - Status: Ongoing 5 MP (save ends)
[/sblock]
[/sblock]