Lighthawk and Sul was not able to figure out what spell Samuel was casting, but Ayuth had seen the wizard he had been a familiar for using it enough times to recognize it.

”Protection from arrows… could be very useful in the upcoming fight” he said, secretly wishing that he could cast that spell himself, but it was beyond his limited sorcerer powers.

He moved over to Lúthien
”I better give you what protection I can then” He said, and proceeded to say some arcane words in draconic and wave one of his “hands”. He then lightly touched Lúthien and a protecting force field came into existence around her body.

”Well” Lighthawk said ”If nobody else has any spells they want to cast now we better move on.
Roadamer, could you please tell your imp to stay about 300 feet in front of us and tell us when he encounter the first enemy?”

Beren loosened his sword in his sheath, and loosened his bow tied to his back.

IC:
Well accustomed to the benefits and limitations of mage armor Lighthawk answered:
”Yes, I know”
He did wonder however, whey Lúthien seemed to think that the well crafted armor would limit her stealthy abilities. Probably she was just not used to wear armor.

----------

DM:
The party moved along the trail into the cleft. There was lots of vegetation in the cleft and the and as the trail was partly overgrown the party made slow progress after about 10 minutes the trail split up with one part leading along the main cleft to the south east while the other part was leading up a narrow, sloping cleft going directly south. Ayuth told then to take the sloping cleft. The cleft had little vegetation and the bottom was filled with lose rocks and boulders, so a little climbing was needed now and then, but only Sul and Bearclaw in their heavy armors had any problems. After 5 more minutes they reached the top of top cliff. All the cliffs in the area were almost completely flat at the top, as if someone had cut them all off the same height. The party was now on the same cliff as their enemies (those east of the road), but the cliff was large and had plenty of vegetation, including a good deal of trees, so there was no danger of them being spotted yet. They had not moved along the top of the cliff for long, before Yathsil told them (though Roadamer) that he had spotted the first enemy.

---------

IC:
”It is now time to split up” Lighthawk said
”Beren, Lúthien, Roadamer, Eros and myself will be in the first group, the rest will be in the second group. We will go first and the second group will follow some 100 feet behind. When we can see our enemies I will, assuming that we remain undetected, give you a little time to use spells and potions that last for a short time only, and then I will signal the attack. If the second group hears an alarm call from the enemy, they should rush to our aid, but otherwise they should only move slowly forward after I have signaled the attack. Before we move, you may however want to use spells that lasts 10 minutes or more.”
Having one such spell he wanted to use himself, Lighthawk said some word in druidic, and soon his skin turned brown and bark-like in appearance. He extended the spell to Fenris as well, but the change was difficult to see on the fur covered wolf.

(Lighthawk casts Barkskin on himself, extending the effect to Fenris as well, both gain +2 AC)

Gripping his longbow firmly, he waited for the order to move out.

DM:
The party moved on again, the second group waiting until the first group was about 100 feet away. With all the vegetation on the cliff there was little danger of that the enemy would spot them before they got very close, but moving as silently as possible was very important.

DM note:
Everyone must make 3 move silently checks, and the characters in the front group must make a hide check as well.

IC:
Samuel nodded and held his chain ready while at the same time trying not to hit something with it, which would give some characteristic noise of rattling chains. Very bad in this situation.
It worked quite well in the beginning. Unfortunately he was not as careful looking where he put his feet, and as he went closer to the enemies, he stepped on a small twig that promptly broke in two.
Samuel froze and did not dare to move on. Did anybody hear the noise...?

Move silently: 16+2=18; 19+2=21; 6+2=8

So now, he felt further prepared for this situation, though he found it not quite so important that utter silence was maintained.

(Move Silently 5+10=15, 12+10=22, 13+10=23)
(Hide 16+8=24)

He moved satisfyably stealthily, hardly making a sound as he crept forward. At this distance, he wasn't too worried about being overheard, though he was unsure whether the rest in this front group were capable of moving with the stealth that may be necessary even for that.

Notifying the defenders of thier approach would make things more difficult, naturally, but not unmanagable.

Move Silently 24 (15 + 7), 10 (3 + 7), 21 (14 + 7)

Hide check aborted; Beren is holding back about fifty feet from the others.

Lúthien slipped on a rock the moment she started moving and still had a hard time being quiet afterwards, but as she neared the enemies, her luck changed, and began moving far more stealthily, even being able to hide very well once she gained sight of the opponents. Still, this was not a situation that she wanted to be in; if these warriors had completely underestimated them, they would not have noticed the group approaching, but if they had scouts of their own, she was sure she had been heard - not to mention Beren's armor and Samuel's snapping twigs.

Move Silently 9 (1 + 8), 11 (3 + 8), 24 (16 + 8)

Hide 25 (12 + 13)

1)18-3=15, 2)14-3=11, 3)6-3=3

Zandallair plodded along as best he could,hoping he would be able to get some better armor soon

[This message has been edited by Accusync72 (edited 12-05-2006 @ 07:18 PM).]

IC:
Lighthawk and Fenris moved forward with the first group. At first Lighthawk didn’t put much effort into moving silently but as they got closer to the enemy he increased his effort and moved very silently
Fenris also improved his effort at making no sound when they got closer to the enemy.

( Lighthawk: Move silently: 2+7=9, 2+7=9, 15+7=22, Hide: 9+7=16
Fenris: Move silently: 5+6=11, 9+6=15, 18+6=24, Hide: 17+5=22)

Although not very stealthy, Sul and Ayuth also made the best effort they could making as little sound as possible.
Ayuth did a good deal better than Sul, who still had difficulties adjusting to wearing an armor. When Samuel stepped on a twig, Sul got startled and anciently banged her shield against her breastplate making an even lauder sound.
Bearclaw made just as much sound in his heavy armor though…

(Sul: 7+0=7, 8+0=8, 3+0=3
Ayuth: 12+1=13, 17+1=18, 9+1=10)

[This message has been edited by Accusync72 (edited 12-05-2006 @ 07:25 PM).]

DM:
The front group was getting close to some trees with heavy undergrowth beneath them, when Yathsil telepathically told Roadamer that 4 gnolls was about 40 feet beyond the trees. Just before reaching the vegetation, the front group heard some rough laughter coming from somewhere beyond the trees. Lighthawk signaled to the second group to stop, and then carefully moved into the vegetation with the rest of the front group (except Beren that was lagging behind) The front group could soon both see the and hear the 4 gnolls who was standing close together beyond a small cleft. Two of the gnolls had their back to the party and was speaking with the other two gnolls. None of them seemed very watchful.
All 4 gnolls was wearing lather armor and had a shortbow and a quiver with arrows on their backs. Two of them had heavy wooden shields strapped to their left arm and the other two had their shields on their back. They all had battle axes in their belts.
Light from the closest campfire could bee seen beyond the vegetation behind the 4 gnolls (southeast of them)
"Don’t attack before I do” Lighthawk whispered " I have a few spells I need to cast first”

Back in the second group Ayuth could clearly see Lighthawk’s signal. He sopped and spoke in a low vice.
“I think they have found the enemy, be ready to charge in if you hear an alarm call”

Dm note:
Everyone now has three rounds of action, Spellcasting and use of magic items require no move silently or hide checks, but if you move around, you will have to make a move silently and hide check for any move action involving moving from one place to another.
Beren can move into the map with a single move silently and hide check, but after he has entered the map, he will follow the rules above.
Remember that if you move more then half your normal speed (per move action) you takes a -5 penalty on move silently and hide checks. See the terrain rules below for other bonuses and penalties. The gnolls can’t see characters that have not yet entered the map.

The map:
http://i10.tinypic.com/43754b5.png

Terrain:

Clear area:
Description: Squares that are fully or mostly white. (Examples: L1, M1, S4, Q5, Y3). Only low grass or bare cliff.
Effects: Hiding is impossible unless something provide you with concealment. If you can hide only because of poor illumination you do so at a -5 penalty
Exception: Because of her clock, Lúthien can hide in clear squares without anything to provide her with concealment, but she does so at a -10 penalty

Light Undergrowth:
Description: Squares more or less filled with single green dots. (Examples: R2, P4, X2, V3, R9)
Effects: Provides concealment (20% miss chance). Movement cost is doubled (10 feet of movement per square moved into, 15 feet if moving diagonally). It is impossible to run or charge. Tumble and move silently DCs is increased by 2. 10 feet of light undergrowth provides improved concealment (30% miss chance, +5 bonus to hide)

Heavy undergrowth:
Description: Squares densely filled with green dots or at least partly filled with green. (Examples: N2, P2, O2, N3, N9, F5, T6)
Effects: Provides improved concealment (30% miss chance, +5 bonus to hide). Movement cost is quadrupled (20 feet of movement per square moved into, 30 feet if moving diagonally). It is impossible to run or charge. Tumble and move silently DCs is increased by 5. 10 feet of heavy undergrowth provides total concealment (50% miss chance, enemies can’t see you at all)

Thorn bushes:
Description: areas filled out with dark green (examples: S1, U2).
Effects: As heavy undergrowth but you take 1d6 damage for each square you move into.
Exception: Because they are so well covered with heavy armor, Bearclaw and Ayuth take no damage.

Note: 5 foot steppes are not possible in any undergrowth (you can never take a 5 foot step into a square with undergrowth, but if you are in undergrowth you can take a 5 foot step into a clear square)
Note: Because of his woodland stride ability, Lighthawk can move through any undergrowth without being slowed down and without taking any damage from thorns. He can take 5 foot steppes as well, and he can even bring Fenris along with him.

Small and medium trees:
Description: Round brown dots that takes up less space than half a single square. (Examples: J1, O2, U5) The trees are between 15 and 35 feet high
Effects: Can be climbed with DC 10 climb checks (branches can be reached from the ground) Provides cover (+4 AC) and Concealment (20% miss chance) to anyone that has climbed it.
Anyone in a small or medium tree must be in the same square(s) as the tree, if the tree is in only one square only one person can be in it.
On the ground it provides +2 AC and +1 reflex save to anyone in the same squre.

Large Trees:
Description: Round brown dots that takes up more then half a single square. (Examples: Q2, M3, X4) Large trees 40-100 feet high and the lowest branches are 20 feet above the ground.
Effects: The first 20 fleets require DC 20 climb checks, further climbing can be done with DC 10 climb checks. Provides cover (+4 AC) and Concealment (20% miss chance) to anyone that has climbed it. If you are in the branches of a large tree you can be in the in the same square(s) of the tree as well as any square surrounding that (those) square(s).
On the ground, a large tree provides improved cover (+8 AC) to anyone behind it, and it can also be used to provide total cover, but it will grant your enemies total cover from you as well then. If a tree takes up more than half a square, nobody can move into that square (unless they climb the tree)

When you are in a tree, you are considered climbing and lose your dexterity bonus to AC unless you have 10 ranks in climb. If you are in the branches you can be considered balancing and can retain your dex bonus if you have 5 ranks in balance. When climbing but not moving, you can freely use one hand, as long as you use the other hand to hold on to something. If you are in the branches you can use both hands, but you must succeed on a DC 10 climb or balance check to do so.

Cliff walls:
Description: Broad grey strokes. 50 feet high vertical cliff walls. Can be climbed with DC 20 climb checks.
If a large tree along the road stands close to a cliff wall you may be able to climb directly into the branches of that tree…

Clefts down to road:
The long cleft that currently can be seen on the map is normally sloped and movement down it can be done normally, while the moving cost for moving up it is doubled.
The other clefts down to the road are much shorter and steeper and require DC 5 climb checks to move up and down.

Road and dirt tracks:
Description: Brown or mostly brown areas
Effects: Nobody can hide there without concealment, not even Lúthien.

Campfires:
Description: large red dots
Effects: Provides illumination in a 30 feet radius, anyone moving into one or through one takes 2d6 fire damage (+3d6 fire damage per round if remaining there).

Clarification: Your own attacks are not hampered by cover or concealment from vegetation in your own square, but attacking through a square with undergrowth will grant your enemies concealment, even if that square is right in front of you.
If you are in a tree you can ignore the effects of undergrowth close to that tree when making ranged attacks on enemies. Other trees can get in the way though…

Edit: I forgot to mention that all the dark grey on the map is “fog of war”, not that it should be hard to guess…

[This message has been edited by Kris Lighthawk (edited 01-14-2007 @ 11:37 AM).]

Move Silently Checks:
(14+16)= 30
(20+16)= 36
(15+16)= 31

Hide Check:
(18+11)= 29

*Moveing silently and hideing as best he could, remembering back to the days when he braved the underdark and his own training he had taught himself proved out to be very beneficial on this day.
He realized he was moveing by instinct hardly thinking or regestering hes movements at all as he had done this type of thing many............Many......times...before...especialy times when he had carried out difficult assassination atempts over the years.....but well paid.....he smirked as the thought flitterd over his head and was gone again....He subconsciously barely even registerd that he was trying to move quietly at all, it was like a 2nd nature to him. His movements were fluid like water on a tranquil stream.
He could only smile as he walked on ahead.
Waiting for that killing strike.
He had become the Hunter.
........but also hoped in the back of his mind that his companions would not make him the hunted.....

Ready, the elf prepared to open fire on Lighthawk's request. Everything would need to go perfectly in order to yield a victory.

(Move Silently 13+10=26, 20+10=30, 15+10=25, Hide 13+8=21)

OOC: I hope that's enough Move Silently checks.

OOC: he will wait all 3 turns as his spells don't last very long(yet)

From what had been discussed during their briefing, Samuel expected the first small group of enemies to be taken out quickly and silently, without raising an alarm, so right now there was nothing to do but wait that Lighthawk sent the signal that the area was clear.
Patience is a virtue...

At least Samuel was not afraid anymore that they might be detected because of his snapping twig.
The clanking of Suls and Bearclaws armor was at least as loud and definetly more traitorous for a would-be stealthy approach...

Hide 16 + 9 -2 = 23; Move Silently 17 + 9 -2 -2 = 22. Beren is in Q1.

Lúthien did not like where she was, and also wanted some better cover. She gracefully slid past Fenris and behind another large tree, and flattened her body against it, her ethereal armor making not the slightest of sound. Quietly, she whispered to Lighthawk "I may cast them into slumber. Shall I try that before or after the first volley comes, or use my bow instead?" While she waited for Lighthawk's response, she looked around out to the west, trying to see if she could see creatures out there, as Roadamer had reported back at the post. But she snapped her attention back as Lighthawk made ready to attack.

Hide 14 + 13 + 5 = 33; Move Silently 14 + 8 - 5 = 17; Spot 13 + 11 = 23; Listen 11 + 11 = 22. Lúthien is in M2.

(Yathsil flys to M14)
Spot Check for Yathsil 14+7=21

Meanwhile, Roadamer was looking for a way around without being in plain site and saw the rather large tree near him but could not get around it due to some nasty looking throns beside it.
Smileing he quickly climbed around the tree hanging precariously above the thron bush and soon planned to land saftly on the other side without haveing a thron in his side.

Hide 13+11=24
Move Silently 15+16=31
Listen 1+9=10
Spot 15+9=24
(did this before climbing so as not to lose dex. bonus)
--------------------
Climb 10+11=21
-------------------
Roadamer is in T3

[This message has been edited by Accusync72 (edited 12-13-2006 @ 05:10 PM).]

Meanwhile Ayuth decided that he would need all the protection he could get and took a scroll from his belt and made himself ready to cast it as soon as he heard an alarm call from the enemies

(Ayuth readies an action to cast shield from his scroll when hear hears an alarm call)

Sul decided to risk casting some spells, if the enemies had not heard the noise she and Bearclaw had already made made, she figured they would not hear her cast a few spells.
She first used a spell that would protect her from evil beings, and then she chose to enhance Ayuth, as he would be the first one from the second group to reach the enemies.
She used a spell to make the already strong dragon even stronger.
(Sul cast protection from evil on herself, then cast bulls strength on Ayuth, both spells lasts 5 minutes)

In the front, Lighthawk drank his potion then carefully took aim at a gnoll, giving the others time to see that he would attack at any moment.

------------------
DM
The gnolls where still talking to each other sometimes emitting a hyena-like laughter. It was obvious that they didn’t expect an attack at all.

Yathsil can now see the closest campfire some 30 feet southwest of him, around it are 4 bugbears, one gnoll, one hyena and one half-orc. The gnoll and one of the bugbears looks rather big and though…

DM note:
Gnoll 1: 19 hp, AC 13, flat footed
Gnoll 2: 17 hp, AC 15, flat footed
Gnoll 3: 16 hp, AC 15, flat footed
Gnoll 4: 17 hp, AC 13, flat footed
Saves (all): Fort +6, Ref +2, Will +0

Last time for moving your character before Lighthawk attacks…

Roadamer, you still got 2 rounds of movement where you can move your character move your character. The gnolls will not even have a chance to hear or spot you if you get above 15 in move silently and hide. Don’t forget the penalty to move silently when moving in undergrowth though…

[This message has been edited by Kris Lighthawk (edited 12-14-2006 @ 05:30 AM).]

"Quiet, girl! Are you mad?!" he hissed between clenched teeth, "You are going to ruin the surprise! Can't you at least wait until we are detected?"

Elves, he thought by himself, why do we even bother a silent apporoach. This is not better than just storming in with some plate armored knights!

Angrily Samuel prepared himself to storm forward at the slightest notion that they were detected, which in his mind would happen now any second.

" What is done is done, and I don’t detect any sign of our enemies having detected Sul’s spellcasting. Ayuth added to the conversation.
Sul’s spell made him feel wonderfully, much stronger than ever and ready to take on any enemy that got in his way. He placed a strong restraint on that feeling though. Some of the last fights had clearly shown that he was not invincible, and he didn’t want to get as close to dead as he had been in those fights.

[This message has been edited by Kris Lighthawk (edited 12-14-2006 @ 06:39 AM).]

Move Silently 6+16=22
Hide 18+11=29
[Now in S8]

Croaching down he could see the gnolls talking amongest themeselves and he could only smile, realizing that the next group of gnolls would surely have a new topic to discuss within the next few minutes, one topic they would know little about.
And with that he could only grin. He needed this.

He stalked his pray like a hunter waiting to pounce and continued slowly in.

Move Silently 13+16=29-2=27
Hide 1+11+5=17

As he crouched ahead and moved slowly forward his thoughts were interupted by Yathsil informing him of 4 bugbears, one gnoll, one hyena and one half-orc.......and also how the one gnoll and one of the bug-bears looked a little bigger and tougher than the others.......

As he was taking in all this new information he realized he was not paying attention very much to where he was hideing and froze as the eyes of one of the gnolls glanced his way by chance and stared right into him for a brief moment not takeing his eyes off him, as if trying to discern if something was their.................
Roadamer dared not to breath at that moment...........
....and then.....thankfull....a few moments latter.....
the gnoll turned away back to the conversation, passing it off as nothing more than the brush and seeing nothing unusual at all........
yes, thankfully to Roadamer's credit the bush he was crouch behind had saved him, he gave out a slight sigh, realizing this was going to be a little harder than he originaly had hoped for.......

He motioned for Yathsil to do a Reversal-Sweep of the area and cut-back accross the opposite direction from where he was to the other side to watch and see what was on his rear flank.

At all costs he did not want to be the one that was being hunted.That was the last thing he wanted.
He griped his Scimatar tighter none the less, waiting,... patiently.... for that first deadly crippiling blow.
Smileing,
realizing how much he truely enjoyed the hunt.
Hopeing that his companions were already in postion to attack at His or Lighthawks will, he cared little.

He would not mind to see Lighthawks arrow initiate the combat, as that would draw even less attention to his tactical position.

[Roadamer is now in R9]
[Yathsil is now in S14]
Spot Check for Yathsil 12+7=19

18-8=10move silently

[This message has been edited by Accusync72 (edited 12-16-2006 @ 07:01 AM).]

DM note:

Updated map:
http://i13.tinypic.com/2w74tib.png

Bc=Bugbear commander, Hy=Hyena, H=Half-orc

Basic stats of enemies at campfire (more complete stats will be given after first round)

Gnoll commander 1: 33 hp, AC 16, flatfooted, sitting
Hyena 1: 29 hp, AC 13, flatfooted, sitting
Bugbear commander 1: 32 hp, AC 16, flatfooted, sitting
Bugbear 1: 13 hp, AC 15, flatfooted, sitting
Bugbear 1: 20 hp, AC 15, flatfooted, sitting
Bugbear 1: 19 hp, AC 15, flatfooted, sitting
Half-orc 1: 55 hp, AC 17, flatfooted, sitting

Sitting = +2 AC against ranged, -2 AC against melee, a move action is required to get up.

-------

IC:
Lighthawk could see the light from the closest campfire behind the vegetation behind the gnolls, so he knew that the chance of taking out the 4 gnolls quietly was slim, but he figured that they might as well take the chance, they had to attack before they was discovered anyway.

"now!" He wispered and fired an arrow at the closest gnoll, it was hard to find room in the dense undergrowth to fire a longbow, so his shoot wasn’t exactly perfect, but fortunately it was an easy target, so his arrow didn’t miss entirely, but hit the gnoll in the left thigh.

(7+7+2(Aimed shot)+2(backshot)=18, hit, 5+2=7 damage, Gnoll 1 has 14 hp left)

Lúthien waited, not revealing herself just yet. She would see if the others managed to bring the gnolls down before casting sleep, or otherwise simply using her bow. But it did not look promising.

7 = no miss, despite improved concealment; 15 + 7 + 2 + 2 = 24 *hit* 2 + 1 = 3 damage. Gnoll 1 has 11 hp left.

[This message has been edited by Beren V (edited 12-17-2006 @ 08:39 PM).]

[This message has been edited by ShadowKin (edited 12-19-2006 @ 05:36 AM).]