[OOC] D&D 5e - Hoard of the Dragon Queen

[Ryonara]

I politely but firmly decline. If orchid wants to go fight I'd say let him. I don't mind coming along to get the others through. I still have one Bardic Inspitation left, so whoever is going out there to fight can have it.

[Gordian Nought]

Mild sarcasm was intended since Parum's AC is 13 and HP 10. Neither would I volunteer the old crazy pirate.

My vote would be either Brannor or Orchid.

Here is my pitiful attempt of a breakdown for each nomination, assuming we have finished a long-rest.

Ashkar Brannor:
Initiative = +1
Strength = 18
Athletics = +6
HP = 12
AC (Chainmail) = 16 + Shield (2) = 18
Greatsword = +6 to hit; 2d6+4 damage, without shield

Orchid Wildflower:
Initiative = +2
Strength = 17
Athletics = +5
HP = 14
AC (Unarmored Defense) = 14 (DEX 2 + CON 2) + Shield (2) = 16
Dual wielding Handaxe x 2 (Light) = +5 for first hit for 1d6+3; +3 for second hit for 1d6: 2d6+3 if both hits, without shield
Rage:
+2 damage rolls which increases this to 1d6+5 and 1d6+2 = 2d6+7, if both hits
Advantage to Strength checks (Athletics)
Resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage.

If the half-dragon misses twice, our paladin will come ahead. If he never misses, our barbarian comes ahead.

If we haven't long-rested, I would nominate Brannor.

If we have long-rested, Orchid is slightly ahead if he dual wields 2 handaxes, has rage to halven damage from non-magical weapons, has advantage with +5 to grappling, and regains the benefit of Restless endurance.

These are my two cents, with my deposit depending if we have a long rest.

Now I believe we should all go down together in support of our 'champion,' in case something goes awry. No reason for us to stay in the keep, even if we haven't rested.

[Hekazu]

Not enough time has passed for a Long Rest. You may have taken a Short Rest though. After this fight, unless you decide to do something monumentally stupid surprising, you have the time for the Long Rest.

[Norschtalen]

If Brannor goes out to fight with a sword and shield he'll have an AC high enough to stand his ground against physical attacks, so I nominate him. If we do get a long rest however I'd suggest letting Orchid go out so he can use his rage and reckless endurance, and possibly giving him whatever buffs we can spare. I can hand out Guidance since disarm is a athletics check, not a straight attack roll, so he can get 1d4 on his first attempt.

Ninja Edit: I don't know what Brannor and Orchid can get back from a short rest, but I'm in favor of Brannor.

[Lucius Cypher]

Without rage I don't have a health pool big enough to be a meatsheild, so I won't be dual wielding. If it's 1v1 I think I can wear him down through grapple and face punches.

@Hekazu could I possibly hold my kerambit in my shield hand? I'd like to think that the small dagger, with the ring hilt for extra grip, could be held in the same arm holding my shield. This way one hand can be used to grab the half-dragon and the they could be used to slash him up without sacrificing the protection of my shield.

[Hekazu]

Without rage I don't have a health pool big enough to be a meatsheild, so I won't be dual wielding. If it's 1v1 I think I can wear him down through grapple and face punches.

@Hekazu could I possibly hold my kerambit in my shield hand? I'd like to think that the small dagger, with the ring hilt for extra grip, could be held in the same arm holding my shield. This way one hand can be used to grab the half-dragon and the they could be used to slash him up without sacrificing the protection of my shield.

@Lucius Cypher

I am afraid that allowing one to wield a weapon in the same hand as their shield would be breaking game mechanics. As things are, that cannot be allowed. But when it comes to the disarming attack, that works! Let me quote the DMG Variant rule for you:

Disarm

A creature can use a weapon attack to knock a weapon or another item from a target's grasp. The attacker makes an attack roll contested by the target's Strength (Athletics) check or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. If the attacker wins the contest, the attack causes no damage or other ill effect, but the defender drops the item.

The attacker has disadvantage on its attack roll if the target is holding the item with two or more hands. The target has advantage on its ability check if it is larger than the attacking creature, or disadvantage if it is smaller.

Now, Battlemaster Fighters have their own manoeuvre for this, which can be easier or harder to land, but they have the option in case anyone ever encounters a game where this variant rule will not be taken into effect.

[Gordian Nought]

Is it allowed to swing a Greatsword while wearing a shield? I understand that with the dual-wielding hand-axes, thanks to PHB p195, you would have to forfeit wearing a shield.

I am curious to what @The Harbinger of Ferocity's stance is on this little skirmish.

[Hekazu]

Is it allowed to swing a Greatsword while wearing a shield? I understand that with the dual-wielding hand-axes, thanks to PHB p195, you would have to forfeit wearing a shield.

I am curious to what @The Harbinger of Ferocity's stance on this little skirmish.

@Gordian Nought

Greatsword as a weapon has the two-handed property, so it requires two hands to use, leaving none free for the shield. The wording could be clearer on it, but I cannot see a case to be made for using a shield with two-handed weapons.

As for Harbingers opinion, he happens to be the only person in the RP we have yet to hear from. But in the end, I would like to see some of the debate on who to send out IC as well. It would also let me set the battle scene in another DM post without double posting.

[Gordian Nought]

I can easily post once we agree on it OOC. If it remains undecided, I will post Torus' thoughts nonetheless.

[The Harbinger of Ferocity]

I would like to volunteer Brannor as he perhaps stands the best odds based upon Armor Class alone given our resident barbarian has no rage left and we haven't had the time to recover those. The only part that concerns me is that this seems fairly life and death, but there's no reason we cannot attempt to bargain that out - the dragonkin gets what it wants in a fight, the prisoners go free, and it isn't to the death, just to defeat. That's of course assuming it has any sense of honor or would not just be willing to go back on its words. Consider me skeptical of both those.

I am wary that they would put a lethal encounter in here in a solo fight between a 1st level character and whatever level the half-dragon is; my guess is he's a subordinate boss and we're meant to find that out by squaring off with him. The most Brannor can do is attempt to start the combat by already having a readied Dodge action to mitigate the enemy winning initiative, which he likely will or at least have a fifty-fifty on. I am hopeful the enemy is going to use a one handed weapon so if Brannor does get hit he might survive it, but there's only so much I can do.; Orchid's disarmament plan should work brilliantly as the two should be close to Strength score meaning fair enough odds, unless of course he has a two-handed weapon.

I doubt we can legitimately kill him as is - he might also have plot armor.

Either way, the biggest areas we need to concern ourselves with are getting the prisoners set free and the fight not being to the death. Having everyone train weapons on him, all of the guardsmen and soldiers as well as the party, should be a major deterrent to any shadiness. I am assuming he's tough to kill, but a barrage like that should be close to mortal or certainly look it. I am assuming @Hekazu will make it more real and less game-y in that regard; twenty men with bows and a band of other adventurers all pointing weapons at you and set to kill you if you cheat or renege on your deal should work.

An army three times the size he might have as well but that means nothing in a close quarters battle as would be with a keep. You would just need channel them into a fatal funnel and force them to keep fighting you through the gauntlet of death; preferably doorways no bigger than ten feet. Odds are a bunch of kobolds won't survive that and any humans in that army - I am assuming half - are not going to be willing to dive headlong into it. This is of course assuming Greenest's guard have any idea what they're doing. I hope this isn't the case either because we've still yet to rest and heal, but it might just be an encounter we're meant to flee from after whatever happens with the half-dragon.

[Gordian Nought]

If only we had the benefit of a long-rest, Orchid would have likely been the best 1 v 1 suitor. Alas, this will be challenging.

I assume Brannor will use a longsword. With armor and shield, an AC of 18 will be tough for a half-dragon to beat. If Greenest can offer any improvement on said armor (i.e. full plate) or shield (+1), this can place his AC between 19-21.

We should also involve Mr. Lake in these discussions to see if anything, he can conjure for us. If the armor and shield is available but in poor condition, I wonder if Parum's mending can be of use.

Does Kyra have also Sanctuary and/or Shield of Faith?

[Norschtalen]

Unfortunately since we haven't had a long rest, I don't have any spells to use. I've used all my spells per day with Bless and Cure Light wounds. I do have Spare the Dying as a cantrip (Kyra had a lot of use out of it) for an instant stabilization. But otherwise no other spells unless @Hekazu will let me have a spellslot back.

[Hekazu]

The first night in Greenest is nearing it's climax. I have arranged with Harbinger for the duel to take place on Tuesday when he has the time to spare for a collab post detailing the fight they will have, so at that point I will need the definitive list of all buffs that may or may not have been casted of champion of Greenest prior to the fight.

As for the rest of you, feel free to throw in your own two cents on the situation and terms that have been laid out for the duel. But rest assured that we will know who was victorious in the end on Tuesday.

And what I mean by the definite list, by the way, is that if I don't have a list I can safely refer to (so no theorising included, only the raw buffs he has), it will be assumed that he has only the Guidance cantrip active on him.

[Gordian Nought]

I am assuming Torus will cast Guidance on Brannor for Initiative, while Kyra will cast Guidance for Athletics.

Will post on the morrow, due to fatigue settling into my carpal bones.

[Ryonara]

I will give him Parum's last Bardic inspiration. 1d6 to any attack, skill, or save.

[Hekazu]

The fight is over! Thank you for your patience! Now, to the more technical side of things!

Welcome to level 2 everyone! The night in Greenest has been concluded and from now on there is but one direction to head to... the cult of the dragon evidently needs to be stopped. It's time to take the fight to them, and what better moment than now with newly acquired power! (The gained max HP is the static value given for the levels beyond first)

Wait a second, hold on? Are you all not injured after these events? Worry not, you also can begin and conclude a long rest! No more interruptions!

There's also one more thing... We have been using DMRoyale to house our character sheets, but I have both noted that they cannot support https protocol and heard that at least one of our players is still having trouble logging in to the site. No matter how good DM tools the site offers, if players cannot access their character we cannot go on. I thus propose characters to be 'remade' over on Myth-Weavers. I am deeply sorry for the trouble, but this transition needs to be made. After you are done moving and leveling up, remember to mention me so I can have a link to the sheets somewhere where I can easily reach it.

@The Harbinger of Ferocity@Norschtalen@Gordian Nought@Ryonara@Lucius Cypher

[Gordian Nought]

Yay!

[Gordian Nought]

I am actually curious to see the rolls that were made on each warrior's behalf.

[Hekazu]

I am actually curious to see the rolls that were made on each warrior's behalf.

@Gordian Nought

Mine were performed using my own physical dice so I cannot link them easily. If you really, really want Cyanwrath's rolls though, I can post a list detailing what was what. Let's just say that his defensive rolls were much higher than his offensive ones.

[Lucius Cypher]

Aaaaah! I knew Cyanwrath would've used his breath attack! The moment I thought he was a Dragonborn I just knew that his breath attack would've been the finisher. Good on Brannor for trying to disarm his opponent though, totes what Orchid would've done. I'm guessing Cyanwrath is going to be a reoccurring enemy, probably a martial class. I'm thinking fighter since he seems to lack that primal savagery to be a barbarian. Possibly paladin, but I doubt it.

I'll try to have a post for Orchid observing the battle and running out to help Brannor after the fight.

I should warn you though, starting from the 23rd I'll be gone for the entire week away from my computer to go on a family camping trip. I won't return until about the 30th, give or take.

@Hekazu