The combined illusion and black magic worked (-10% to-hit) causing the rider on the horse to start visibly. It all seemed to happen at once - five of the archers immediately tracked Zoah and fired, while the remainder would fire at the group. One of these archers would critically fail, releasing an arrow not at the angelborn warrior, but instead into the flank of the leader's horse. Panicked by the sudden pain, the horse would rear and dump its rider with a sickening crunch (10 HP damage; broken neck), then run away. Fortunately for the group, the packhorses were well-trained, merely observing the panicked horse and hail of arrows their way.
This would not, however, stop one of the arrows from sinking deep into Zoah's upper thigh, burning with arcane power (6 HP damage). Out of the remaining three, all but one were ineffective, either flying past the angelborn or rebounding harmlessly from his breastplate due to his battle instincts and last-second maneuvering (Critical: Veteran Warrior); the last one would graze his right shoulder, raising blood to the surface. (1 HP damage).
Out of the remaining archers, several arrows would thunk neatly into the side of the carts, scattering the unarmed bandits as they moved out of the way, unwilling to be shot by their own band. Despite this, the rest of the arrows would make their way towards the group, leaving it up to the party members to dodge.
The first target, obviously, was the talking Myrln, whose fireballs made him the target of opportunity. Quickly calculating the arc of the arrow, Myrln would sidestep the first arrow (Major: Intelligent), which would have the unfortunate consequence of having his ear torn open and head scraped by another arrow (2 HP damage).
Another would head towards the death-priest, who would utilize its superior speed and agility (Sp: 18 Ag: 18) to allow the arrow to harmlessly pass through its outer layer of clothing.
Tarana, sensing the arrows coming near, would utilize a trick she had learned from her past (Dancer 1) to elegantly deflect the blow, then take the opportunity to spit on the back of the head of the downed horseman, killing him outright.
Another, aimed roughly for Neun, would end up shattering the flask in his hand and tearing skin as he moved, the alcohol burning the wound slightly. (1 HP damage, -5% to-hit)
A determined war cry would arise from the throats of some of the swordsmen, who would attempt to flank the party and drive them up to the walls. The archers would begin to reload or draw their knives. while the mages would begin to bolster the willpower of the demoralized and surprised bandits.
[Your move.
There are now less than 25 armed bandits, as the others are unarmed and hiding, unwilling to join the battle. Any further attempts at archery now have a severe penalty as a result of firing into melee. The leader is dead.]
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Topic: Adventuring Party, Act 1: A Tale Of Two Hamlets (Read 37573 times)