Arcana Unearthed Combat Example

By The Council of Magisters

The sample combat below uses two Arcana Unearthed characters, a sibeccai champion of death and a verrik wood witch. The sequence shows off many new features of the book.

Thonia the Jawsplitter: Female sibeccai unbound Chm5 (death); Medium humanoid (sibeccai); HD 5d10+18; hp 50; Dying/Dead -4/-16; Init +1; Speed 20 feet; AC 16 (touch 11, flatfooted 15); Attack +9 melee (1d6+4/18-20x2, +1 psionic scimitar); or +6 ranged (1d6+3, javelin); SQ Low-Light Vision; SA Death's Blessing, Call Shield, Call Upon the Power, Death's Wrath SV Fort +7, Ref +3, Will +4; Str 16, Dex 13, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 8

Skills and Feats: Climb +2, Jump +2, Ride +5, Spot +4; Night Owl, Resistance to Magic, Sturdy

Equipment: +1 psionic scimitar, breastplate

Krytalqk: Male verrik Wtc5 (wood); CR 5; Medium humanoid (verrik); HD 5d6+10; hp 32; Dying/Dead -3/-14; Init +1; Speed 30 feet; AC 15 (touch 11, flatfooted 14); Attack +2 melee (1d6-1/x3, halfspear); or +4 ranged (1d4-1, dart); SQ Sensory control, The Sight, +1 luck bonus to AC vs. wooden weapons, innate spell-like abilities 1/day: contact, sense thoughts, lesser telekinesis; SV Fort +3, Ref +2, Will +8; Str 8, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 18, Cha 11

Skills and Feats: Concentration +14, Heal +12, Knowledge (nature) +4, Sense Motive +8, Spellcraft +8; Peaceful Mage, Affinity with Skill (concentration), Tattooed Spell (lesser ability boost)

Spell Slots: 4/3/2; base DC = 14 + spell level

Spells Prepared: 0--canny effort, detect disease, detect poison, saving grace, scent bane; 1st--lesser compelling question, mind stab, obscuring mist, lesser transfer wounds; 2nd--aid plants, icebolt

Witchery Manifestations: Greenfire, nature's warding word

Gear: Leather jack, long shield (spell failure: 25%), heightening elixir, wand of gusting wind, potion of lesser battle healing (heightened)

The Scene
Thonia the Jawsplitter, a sibeccai champion of death, is stalking the individuals who captured her mentor. On a cool fall evening, she waits in ambush inside the home of her first mark, the verrik wood witch Krytalqk.

Determine Surprise
Thonia is hiding: -2 Sneak skill with armor check penalties, +1 competence bonus for the Night Owl feat, +10 starlight conditions, +5 stillness and a roll of 18 = Spot check DC 32 for Krytalqk to notice Thonia hiding near the curtain. Meanwhile, Thonia can simply make a DC 0 Listen check to detect Krytalqk opening the door. Krytalqk scores an 8 on the check and has no hope of spotting Thonia, but the lurking champion easily hears the witch at the door with a 17.

Surprise Round
Thonia rolls a 12 for initiative. Girding for battle, she calls her shield to herself as a standard action, bumping her AC up to 20.

Round One
Krytalqk rolls a 9 for initiative. Thonia acts first. As a free action she Calls Upon the Power, bellowing "By the fury of the final end!" Thonia gains a +2 enhancement bonus to Strength and Constitution for the next 5 rounds. She moves 15 feet to close with Krytalqk and attacks with her scimitar. Adjusted for her increased Strength and Night Owl talent, her attack bonus is +11. She rolls a 9 (20 total) and slashes the flat-footed Krytalqk for 6 points (minimum damage) inflicting an additional 4 points of subdual damage with the +1 psionic scimitar.

On his turn, Krytalqk attempts to buy himself some time by casting obscuring mist on the defensive. The DC is Thonia's attack bonus + spell level (11+1) = 12. Krytalqk rolls a natural 20 (34 total), makes the spell failure check from his armor with a 62, and the doorway is enveloped in fog. Krytalqk takes a further gamble and retreats back into the street, provoking an attack of opportunity. The champion of death punishes him for another 11 points of weapon damage and 5 points of subdual. Krytalqk has 15 hit points left and has taken a total of 9 points of subdual. Due to the fog, Krytalqk can move at only half his normal speed. He steps back 5 feet and ducks to his right 10 feet to remain in the cloud.

Round Two
Thonia's movement is also hampered. She makes a double move 20 feet straight through the doorway to the edge of the cloud of fog.

Having bought himself some time, Krytalqk retrieves his potion of lesser battle healing (heightened) and quaffs it. He heals 1d6+10 points of damage, and gets a total of 15. He's now at 30 hit points and is relieved of the subdual damage.

Round Three
Not seeing the wood witch on the street, Thonia wades into the fog and in a single move manages to come within 5 feet of Krytalqk. She attacks, but misses with a total of 13.

Krytalqk steps back 5 feet (out of the mist) and invokes nature's warding word, gaining a +5 natural armor bonus. His AC is now 20.

Round Four
Thonia the Jawsplitter moves 10 feet -- out of the obscuring mist and next to Krytalqk (who isn't armed and thus doesn't threaten his area). She hits with a 27, inflicting 7 points of slashing damage and 3 points of subdual.

Krytalqk applies the subdual spell template to an icebolt and casts on the defensive. He makes the DC 13 Concentration check, rolls a 34 for spell failure, and hits the champion with an attack roll of 21. Thonia fails the DC 16 Reflex save with a roll of 8, +1 for the Resistant to Magic talent, +1 competence bonus for Night Owl and a base of +3 for a total of 13. She still has 55 hit points, but takes 20 points of subdual damage from the subdued icebolt.

Round Five
Thonia invokes Death's Wrath. She rolls a 12 for a successful touch attack against Krytalqk. A blast of dark gray negative energy roils forth, inflicting 20 points of damage upon the wood witch.

At this point, the duration of Thonia's Call Upon the Power expires and her Strength and Constitution enhancements end. However, the temporary hit points granted by the Constitution bonus have already been lost, so her hit point total does not slip any further.

The 3 hit points Krytalqk has left equals the 3 points of subdual damage he took in Round Four, and he is now staggered. He can only take a standard OR move-equivalent action each round. Krytalqk draws on his own witchery powers to blast Thonia with greenfire. He makes the DC 11 Concentration check to use the spell-like ability on the defensive and Thonia scores only a 10 versus the DC 16 Reflex save. She suffers 14 points of damage, leaving her with 41 hit points and 20 points of subdual damage.

Round Six
Thonia can use her Call Upon the Power ability up to four times per day and takes a free action to renew the enhancements she just lost. She unleashes an attack with her scimitar, hitting with a 28. Krytalqk takes 10 points of slashing damage and 1 more point of subdual. Krytalqk is now unconscious and dying at -7 hit points.

At the end of the round, Krytalqk has a 14% chance to stabilize, otherwise he'll lose an additional hit point. This process continues until he stabilizes, is healed, or dies at -15 hp.

The End
Thonia the Jawsplitter drags the wood witch off into the darkness to bind Krytalqk's wounds and begin some very unpleasant questioning as to her mentor's whereabouts.

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