Zalminen's Beta Diary

Attempt two

For this attempt Agreyn switches his second weapon to Blocking Mace.
Silvershield switches back to Club Of Wrath and Mizana switches one of her arcane items to Destructive Wand.



Hmm, there's not much point using Unholy Wellspring yet.

Mizana steps back, zapping one of the skeletons with Surging Bolt. The burning foes run after Silvershield, giving the priestess a chance to use her Touch Of Death on the nearest one. Nice, 14 damage! Before the skeletons have a chance to attack, she pulls back, the bony foes in pursuit.

Mizana retreats, the skeletons assaulting Silvershield with their blades.

I'm using my moves to make sure that the enemy doesn't have any more move cards in store.

As the ochre slimes again move closer, Silvershield quickly boosts Agreyn with Unholy Wellspring and the fighter runs to engage the oozes. Unfortunately he fails to Block the Powerful Bash of the middle lump of slime and the force of the blow sends him sliding out of axe range.

I'm out of other cards to use and unwilling to take the risk that Gary passes after me, so I'll just have to take the risk that one of the skeletons' three cards is a move card.

The stone floor under the burning skeletons suddenly melts and the bony foes are too slow to notice. Yes!



The lava claims one of the skeletons as it sinks in the molten rock, doing heavy damage against the two others.

The others split up, one of them running to get smashed to pieces by Agreyn's Mighty Bludgeon, the other one moving to Silvershield.

One of the ochre slimes manages to hit Agreyn from behind with a Shambling Bash, sending him again sliding away.

Silvershield's Invigorating Touch takes care of the last skeleton as the slimes move to close the distance between them and Agreyn.
As this finally brings them to striking distance, Agreyn grins and his fierce Chop does heavy damage against the first two foes. (10 damage: 5 from Chop, 1 extra from Strong Chop, 4 extra from Unholy Wellspring) Before he has a chance to hit again, one of the slimes retaliates with a Pseudopod Strike which the fighter fails to Block. Too bad it caused Strong Chop to be discarded....

I pass, wanting to get the first move on the next turn.

The third slime flings a Blob Of Slime at Mizana.



Bravely run away away... Figures, now that I again switched to equipment with more crushing damage, I manage to kill the skeletons first.

Agreyn retreats from the dangerous slimes while Mizana gets again struck by a blob projectile.
Mizana joins the retreat as another blob flies towards Silvershield, the dwarf managing to block the attack.

Mizana turns and zaps one of the slimes, covering Silvershield's retreat but the nearest ooze lunges forward, hitting the dwarf with a Shambling Bash.

As Mizana continues her electrical assault, Silvershield goes on a Wild Run, running to the other side of the battlefield.

The slimes move again, one catching up with Agreyn and the other two moving to threaten Mizana.



It's unlikely that there's no Amorphous Body in the slimes' deck, but I pretty much have to try at this point...

Agreyn turns and whacks the ochre slime with a Mighty Bludgeon, his attack doing no damage against the foe's Amorphous Body. He manages to Block the foe's Bash, allowing Mizana a chance to retreat past the occupied slime but another one manages to hit her with a Blob Of Slime.
Mizana continues her retreat but the slimes prove too quick and catch up with the sorceress easily. She turns, zapping the most Vulnerable one with a Mighty Spark.

Seeing her chance, Silvershield moves to a better vantage point...



... and casts Unholy Frenzy on the same foe, the initial jolt dispersing the Vulnerable opponent.

Agreyn and Mizana retreat from the slimes, the oozes pursuing the slower sorceress. Phew, either they didn't get any Shambling Bashes this turn or just decided to move first.

Mizana tries to escape from the slimes with a Cautious Sneak but gets hit by a Blob Of Slime that proves too much for the wounded sorceress. Damn!

Agreyn moves to a better position behind the pillar while Silvershield's chant creates a Mass Frenzy, the dwarf also moving closer to the foes.



Just as planned, the slimes move around the pillar, giving Agreyn a chance to slay the first one with a double-frenzied Chop.
Unfortunately the other slime attacks with a Shambling Bash and as the blow manages to slip past both layers of armor, the fighter falls as well. GAAAH.

Hmm, the foes discarded Amorphous Body earlier. Maybe they didn't draw a new one?

Silvershield marches to attack the last opponent, his Bludgeon doing no damage against its Amorphous Body. Damn.
And figures that the last hero standing is Silvershield who doesn't have much in the way of non-crushing attacks. This is going to get tricky.

Silvershield parries the slime's attempt to hit her with a Powerful Bash. The priestess counters with a Touch Of Death, then testing the opponent with a quick Bludgeon that again fails to do anything. The foe had again discarded Amorphous Body but drew another one.

The slime attempts to hit the dwarf, its Shambling Bash again meeting only the dwarf's quick Parry but forcing the priestess to retreat. As the slime attempts to pursue, Silvershield Bashes it back and retreats again.

The flight continues for several turns, Silvershield hurting the ooze with an Unholy Frenzy, then waiting for it to expire. Once it does that, she again readies a counterattack.



Silvershield's Invigorating Touch sucks some of the enemy's life force away and as it Bashes the dwarf away, she wounds the foe even more with Unholy Power, then pulls back behind the pillar. I don't want to stay only one square away, that would just allow the enemy to attack with a Shambling Bash. If it has to move first, I have time to either attack of retreat.

Again Silvershield keeps retreating, waiting for a better opportunity. Unfortunately she gets hit by a Blob Of Slime while using a Minor Heal on herself. She retaliates with a Consuming Touch as the Vulnerable ooze approaches, then again pulls back.



Only 5 hp left for the foe, hopefully I'll get some attacks soon...

The ochre slime in pursuit, Silvershield Charges away, hiding behind the pillar at the opposite end of the room, then slipping around it as the ooze follows.

Heh, this is probably the first time I've used the whole deck and seen a reshuffle. It's already round 17 and it doesn't look like this will end soon either.

Or looks like it will:



Tired of the hide and seek, Silvershield finally turns around and as the slime comes from behind the pillar, she slams it with her Invigorating Touch, the ooze finally becoming immobile as its life force gets transferred to the priestess.

Whew. That was a long fight.



Loot: Gazelle Moccasins, Spiral Medallion
Hmm, interesting cards on that Spiral Medallion. Not quite worth using now, but certainly interesting.

To be continued...

 

Fight three



Bah, more oozes. Should've switched weapons again.
Cool map.

"Bah, I'm growing weary of food that fights back..." Silvershield mutters, slapping Mizana with Unholy Power.
The sorceress Sparks the tan mold as the oozes move closer.

I have no idea what kind of attacks that tan mold has but probably something bad.

Silvershield goes on a Wild Run, running to pin down the disgusting mold. As it hits the dwarf with its Poisonous Bite, she retaliates with an Invigorating Touch.

One of the ochre slimes flings a Blob Of Slime at Mizana, its ally doing the same to Agreyn. The fighter charges closer, his Chops cleaving chunks out of his oozy opponent as one of the green jellies spits acid under the fighter's feet.

As the enemies seem to pause for a moment, Mizana takes advantage of the situation and creates a Wall Of Fire under the ochre slimes, then moving closer to the tan mold and trapping it with lava as well. The mold moved after the first Wall Of Fire so I wanted to make sure it didn't have any more move cards in hand.



Mizana's Mighty Spark blasts the tan mold apart, Silvershield now free to join the fight against the ochre slimes threatening Agreyn.

As the slimes attempt to push towards Mizana, the sorceress backs away. One of the oozy foes gives up, turning to hit Agreyn instead with a Shambling Bash that sends the fighter sliding into the lava.

Hmm, the ochre slimes have one card left. Is it Amorphous Body or something else?

Agreyn again closes the distance to the slimes as Silvershield gets hit by a Blob Of Slime from the green jellies. The dwarf spins around to face the ochre slimes but they move, intending to slip behind her. Didn't have Amorphous Body but they're now too far for Agreyn to hit them.



Silvershield turns to Bludgeon the weaker slime, splattering it in all directions. Hah, still no Amorphous Body!
The other slime tries to move behind the priestess but she just spins around, Bashing the slime away as another slimy projectile hits her.

Mizana orders her team to shift closer. The ochre slime tries to counterattack, but its Shambling Bash meets Silvershield's Parry.
Agreyn reaches the slime as well, his Chop wounding the foe heavily and leaving it weak enough for Silvershield's Invigorating Touch to finish, taking a hit from a Blob Of Slime as well in the process.

Those green jellies are getting annoying...

Mizana runs to cut the green jellies escape off, spraying the jellies with fire. The foes retaliate with another blob.



Mizana keeps flinging spells at the more Vulnerable ooze while the other one tries to make a run for it. Its path leads it too near Agreyn who eagerly runs to intercept it, despite being encumbered by the slime from the previous attack.
Silvershield boosts the fighter with Unholy Frenzy and he begins his frenzied assault:
Weak Chop. Chop. Lunging Hack.
Saving up his strength against the other foe, he then only needs to watch as the the jelly gets burned down by the lingering flames from Mizana's earlier spell.

The last jelly flings yet another Blob Of Slime at Agreyn but its situation looks a bit hopeless.



Unable to get away from Agreyn, its flight gets cut down short as the fighter's double-frenzied Strong Bash splatters it all over the wall.

Loot: Amulet Of The Burning Barrier and treasure.

Hmm, I wonder what's coming next. Oh well, I'll keep my current equipment, I'd probably change to something totally wrong again if I did any changes at this point...

 

Fight four



"Ah, the old Duke himself. Glad to meet you. I mean beat you", Agreyn yells.

Agreyn moves ahead to intercept the dead noble. As the foe marches closer, Agreyn's Stunning Blow manages to disorient the undead opponent, leaving the fighter free to flail at the zombie.

The ochre slimes slither closer, one of them hitting Agreyn with a Blob Of Slime.

Mizana joins the fight, zapping the dead Duke once more, then filling the floor underneath it with lava.



With the flames turning old Duke Dead-n-cold (or Oggencot or whatever) into a pile of ash Agreyn takes another blob projectile hit. He runs with Silvershield to engage the ochre slimes moving to the main room.

As Mizana uses a Dissolve Armor spell to soften the nearest ooze, Silvershield's Parry stops the enemy's Bash attempt. Quickly driving herself and her allies into Mass Frenzy, the priestess assaults the slimes. Frenzied Strong Bludgeon, followed by a Violent Overswing blast the first ochre ooze into a layer of paint on the floor, but the dwarf also gets hit by a Blob Of Slime from the next slime trying to reach the room.

The tan mold reaches Agreyn, swatting his armor aside with a Pseudopod Strike.

Mizana retaliates against the disgusting foe with a Wall Of Fire, then uses another against the ochre slimes as they move further into the room. The third one manages to hit Silvershield with a Powerful Bash, sliding the dwarf backwards.

The burning oozes fill the room with a horrifying smell. Well, an even more horrifying than currently.



Silvershield Bashes the nearest ochre slime backwards, the foe taking no actual damage thanks to its (newly drawn) Amorphous Body.

The tan mold moves after Mizana, the sorceress flinging a Sizzing Bolt at the incoming foe, getting hit with a Blob Of Slime in return.

The ochre slimes move to attack as well, Silvershield using a Simple Bash to slam one of them back into the lava, then retreating.
The slimes move again but the unlucky ooze just ends up back in another pool of lava, this time thanks to Agreyn's Strong Bash. The
fighter manages to Parry a Pseudopod Strike (which luckily only discards a Run this time), then uses the opening to hit another slime with a frenzied Lunging Hack.

Gary passes, apparently out of attacks, so I do the same.

The ochre slimes push on again.



Agreyn's Chop hits both Vulnerable slimes near him, killing the first one and wounding the second.

The third one hits Silvershield with a Pseudopod Strike as Mizana takes out Agreyn's second foe with a well-aimed Spark.
The sorceress quickly retreats as the tan mold reaches her, then using a Bungled Bolt against the disgusting heap.

The heroes all move to better positions, intending to force the slimes to come to them.
The last ochre slime decides to follow Silvershield, then turns to fling a Blob Of Slime at Mizana.

The tan mold gets blasted by Mizana's Mighty Spark, the electricity ending whatever fiendish energy was keeping the mold mobile.

The heroes again retreat from the last foe, waiting for a better opportunity to attack.



And Agreyn just fails to draw attacks. Oh well, Wall Of Fire works fine as well.

Silvershield retreats from the incoming slime, the foe managing to slip behind Agreyn and hit him with a Shambling Bash.

Silvershield looks at the foe for a moment, then casts Unholy Wellspring on it.
"Are you out of your mind," Agreyn turns to face the priestess. 'The last thing we need is to make it stronger!'
"Trust me," Silvershield replies, boosting the foe even more with Unholy Frenzy.

Mizana runs to get into range, then sprays the slime with fire, following up with a Wall Of Fire.

The slime glows with unholy strength - but is also damaged enough that it never manages to leave the scorching lava, the heat boiling it alive.

Adventure Complete!

I have to admit I'm vaguely disappointed. The adventure is fun but considering the current illustration on this adventure is this:



I was waiting for a fight with a three-eyed octopus monster

The heroes reach level 18, gaining yet another Talent upgrade.



Loot: treasure, Surging Battleaxe (whoo, attacks doing 17 damage, Agreyn is happy to take), Timid Rogue Boots, Amber Charm, Spiked Greaves (Silvershield takes).

--

Well, that was also the last of the free adventures in the current beta. So what next?

I thought about the question for a while and decided I want to also play through the premium adventures.

Since doing the premiums with my current party would not be a proper challenge, I've recruited three new heroes. I've been already raising them to level 6 behind the scenes and will resume writing from the point where the heroes are ready to try The Defense of Woodhome, the first premium adventure.

Here's what my old heroes ended up like:

Agreyn
Level 18 Human Warrior

Simple Axe
Surging Battleaxe
Warrior's Mace
Battered Spiked Mail
Dueler's Buckler
Viking Helm
Polished Leather Boots
Defensive Luck
Novice Chopping
​

Mizana
Level 18 Human Wizard

Arcanist's Staff
Mighty Sparkping Staff
Blister Stone
Amulet Of The Burning Barrier
Amulet Of The Burning Barrier
Destructive Wand
Robe Of Cinders
Brown Mail Boots
Novice Mobility
Electroporter
​

Silvershield
Level 18 Dwarf Priest

Big Stick
Club Of Wrath
Spiked Greaves
Steel-rimmed Buckler
Off-balance Boots
Demon Charm Of The 3rd Circle
Dworia's Soulstone
Charcoal Talisman
Novice Ferocity
Perfect Lifesteal
​

 

I was curious how well Elf Warriors actually work - whether they'd be too squishy or not.
I also decided to try a more ranged approach, picking two wizards and since the last time I had two humans and a dwarf, this time I'm going with two elfs and a dwarf.

So here's my new party:

Urambar
Level 6 Elf Warrior

Hefty Stout Club
Old Adze
Hefty Stout Club
Solid Mail
Dueler's Buckler
Weakling's Helm
Off-balance Boots
Novice Chopping
​

Shalar the Blue
Level 6 Dwarf Wizard

Staff Of Peril
Smoking Bangle
Orzo's Excellent Rod
Red Circlet
Robe Of Cinders
Weighty Boots
Untrained Persistence
Electroporter
​

Leafstorm
Level 6 Elf Wizard

Balsa Boltstaff
Stone Of Shards
Smoking Bangle
Orzo's Excellent Wand
Lava Robes
Brown Mail Boots
Unskilled Elf
Electroporter
​

No elf skill yet for Leafstorm as there weren't any in the stores now and since I didn't have any elves earlier, I hadn't saved any from earlier loots either.

The Defense of Woodhome

"Don't the citizens of this town here ever take a bath,' Leafstorm asks, wrinkling her nose. 'Or comb their hair?'
'I don't think they're even alive anymore...' Shalar replies, looking at the horde shambling towards them.
'More fools to taste my weapons then,' Urambar laughs as the dwarf turns to look over her shoulder.
'Looks like there's more fools behind us as well....'



Leafstorm uses her wand to hit one of the undead with Long Spark as Urambar moves to intercept the slow foes.
He bludgeons the first foe twice, getting an Infected Bite in his shoulder, then dances away from the zombie horde.

The ground underneath the zombies suddenly turns into lava, badly burning two of the slow foes.



Shalar backs away from the approaching undead, then turns to use her Deadly Spark against the strongest one as Leafstorm uses another Hot Spot against the other group of undead. Then she turns, pushing one of the badly burned zombies back in the previous pool of lava with her mind.
'I told you you'd need a bath...'

Two more zombies out of the fight, the rest try to reach the heroes.
Urambar's Bludgeon takes out one of them, the other tries to Zombie Mob Leafstorm but finds itself alone and unable to seriously hurt the elf.

Ignoring the weak foe, Leafstorm turns to blast the other group instead, taking out one and injuring another with her Sorcerous Bolts. Shalar joins in the effort, targetting the same foe with a Big Zap.

Leafstorm uses her speed to run behind the last zombie coming from the first direction while the other group reaches Shalar.



"Nice to meet you," Shalar grins, grasping the hand of the first zombie moving into range. The foe spasms, then falls down from the priestess' Deadly Spark.

"Too slow, too weak to stop me," Urambar laughs, swatting down the undead coming at him from behind.

Leafstorm and Shalar assault the remaining foes, weakening both foes with smaller spells, then with lava.



The lava eats one of the zombies and the last one slowly shuffles forward.
It gets hit by a Little Zap, then shoved back in the lava by Telekinesis.

"For once I agree with an elf, you really do need a bath", Shalar grins. The scorching heat burns down the last of the undead horde.

Loot: Crude Polearm, Misenchanted Cloth Boots.

 

Fight two

The elfs quickly formed a defensive formation around Shalar as the clattering suddenly started around the heroes.

"Foul abominations," Leafstorm hissed, raising her staff.
"Yeah, they're a bit too bony for my tastes. And I'm fighting with two elves..." Shalar added.



Leafstorm quickly runs closer to the burning skeleton, waiting for it to step around the pillar and then retreating.

The skeleton trio marches towards Urambar, maintaining a perfect line.
"Time to play you like a xylophone," the fighter laughs, hitting the first in the ribcage with a Wimpy Trained Bludgeon.

The burning skeleton charges from the other direction, moving to attack Shalar who easily steps to the side.
The bony trio hits Urambar with a Penetrating Cut, the fighter quickly lunges to the side, hitting the middle skeleton. Ha, they haven't yet drawn Only Bones!
Urambar's Wimpy Chop breaks more brittle bones, not quite managing to fell either target.



Shalar points a glowing finger at the flaming undead.
"Dance, skeleton, dance!"
A Deadly Spark hits the burning skeleton.
"What, too cold for your old bones? We can fix that, right Leafy?'
Leafstorm blinks a couple of times. 'Umm, yes. Of course.'

The wizard duo begins casting and a moment later a pool of lava springs up beneath a skeleton. Then another. And another.
The dwarf gets hit by a Reaching Swing, but this does not help the undead. Two of the clattering dead melt in the scorching lava, only the already burning skeleton managing to stay upright.



One Little Zap later the burning foe is no longer a danger.

The last skeleton continues its singleminded attack.
"You're no match for my superior skills," Urambar exclaims, swatting the weak enemy aside with a Trained Bludgeon.

Loot: Long Axe Of Retribution, Novice Cleansing.

 

Fight three



"We shall defend this spot with our very lives. No undead foe shall get in this breach!"
"You're getting too grandiose to get in your breeches soon," Shalar notes, rolling her eyes at the elf fighter. "What do you think is, Battle of Uthgar Pass?"

Leafstorm zaps one of the approaching foes with a Long Spark, Shalar using a Perplexing Ray on the same foe.
As the foes pause for a moment (and the skeletons' Obvious Maneuver reveals that they're unlikely to have any moves left), the elven sorceress uses lava to slow down the first skeleton even more, then dashes to the breach area.

Shalar retreats as well while Urambar moves a little closer to intercept the approaching foes.

One VP for me, one skeleton in lava.

The skeletons run to engage the elven fighter.



Urambar's Trained Bludgeon fails to penetrate the weakest skeleton's Solid Mails, his second blow having no better luck.
The fighter easily parries a Strong Chop aiming for his head, then dances backwards while Leafstorm's Long Spark proves more accurate, hitting a weak point in the bony foe's armors.

Another VP for me.

The skeletal foes again catch up with Urambar.



Urambar dances to the side, his lunge failing to do any damage to the heavily armored undead, but the skeleton's Chop drives a long gash on the elf's side.

Shalar joins in, hitting Urambar's opponent with a Penetrating Zap as the elf swings his axe. His swift blow manages to slip under the foe's Solid Mail, cutting the skeleton's spine in two.
And that's enough VPs!

"Ok, everyone's safe, we can run now," Shalar yells, slipping to the other side of the breach.
"But... Where's the glory in that," Urambar replies.
"Come on, or you'll end up sleeping in nettles like the last time you pissed me off."
Blocking a sword blow, the elven fighter runs after his allies. "I'll be back, that I swear by my ancestor's grave!"

Adventure Complete!

Loot: Woodhome's Wound (the treasure hunt reward), Purple Cloak, Apprentice Fireblinker.

 

Hi Zalminen,

I've been reading this thread from shortly after it began and this seems like an appropriate time to say a massive thank you for the effort that you've put into making it. It is, imo, very well written - both entertaining and informative and it goes into exactly the right amount of depth. Your diary, more than anything else, has kept me coming back to the forums on a regular basis.

I am very excited that you will now be covering premium adventure modules as well. Keep up the good work!

 

Thanks!

Yea, it takes quite a bit of time writing these but knowing that people enjoy reading them makes it worth the effort.

--

I played through Beneath the Frozen Earth to get everyone to level 7.

Although I have plenty of things to choose from for my new party, I'm keeping their equipment on roughly the right level. So although I'm tempted to choose Amulet Of The Burning Barrier again for both wizards, it's a level 15 item and a level 7 party would not normally have that.

Now it's time for

Forest of Souls

"I just hate having to do this. Fighting trees - what a waste," Leafstorm sighs as the first animate trees march into sight.
Shalar raises an eyebrow. "...coming from someone named Leafstorm..."
"Less talking, more fighting! It's clobbering time," Urambar shouts, drawing his clubs.
"...are you sure you don't have orc blood in you," Shalar mutters.



Leafstorm's Long Sparks hit the first maple, both finding a weak spot in the tree's Solid Wood as the middle tree moves to join its ally in the corner.

Urambar roars and dashes towards the lone tree, taking a hit from the young maple's Able Bludgeon but countering immediately with three blows of his own.
Shalar marches to join the fight, pestering the leafy foe with her Arcane Curses.

Urambar gets hit again, his Hardy Mail failing to protect him from the blow.



I really need to find an elf skill, I have too many Walks currently in my decks from the empty slots...

Leafstorm moves to a better position as Shalar gets hit by Entangling Roots.

As everyone is again ready to act, the elven sorceress uses a Memory Loss spell on the weakest tree, making it forget to shield itself properly. It still remembers to attack though and its Strong Bludgeon manages to hit a spot unprotected by Urambar's Hardy Mail, knocking the elven fighter out of the fight. GAAH!

Shalar backs away from the foes, getting slowed by another maple's Entangling Roots.



Leafstorm moves to her ally, waiting for the trees to move and as they do so, she cast a Hot Spot right under the closest tree's roots. The tree counters with more Entangling Roots.

Shalar uses Telekinesis to slip a pinecone down Leafstorm's tunic (or in reality just to waste an action so I can be sure the foes aren't saving a move card) , then returns to business by casting a Hot Spot of her own under the next young tree.

The trees roar with an eerie sound as the scorching heat sends flames up their barks.



Shalar's Deadly Spark slips past one tree's Solid Wood, felling the young maple. The other two find themselves in trouble as well, the badly burned one suddenly getting pierced by Stone Spikes, the other getting a lava bath as well.

Loot: Old Adze, Apprentice Pyromancy.

 

Fight two

Urambar's humming turns into singing as the trees again appear, preparing to attack

"A couple beech saplings behind me,
a couple young maples in front I see,
a couple wizard allies by my side,
a trusty handy axe five handspans wide..."

You can blame Mambo Nr. 5 getting stuck in my head for that...



Leafstorm's Sorcerous Bolt hits one of the beech trees as it hits Urambar with a Long Thin Branch.
"See, even the trees hate your singing," Shalar chuckles.
A Long Spark follows the first bolt, this time doing no damage past the beech's Solid Wood.

Ignoring the approaching tree behind him, Urambar runs to engage the one that hit him, the other one swinging at the elf with another Long Thin Branch.

Confused by Leafstorm's Memory Loss spell, it fails to protect itself from Urambar's Chop while Shalar targets the more Combustible one with a Hot Spot.

Phew, I get to discard Unfortunate Surge before anyone hits Shalar.

The beech screeches, barely managing to stay mobile as the molten rock eats at its roots. Its ally tries to whack Urambar again, the elf's Reliable Mail taking some of the blow.



Urambar's Reaching Swing hits the beech, its bark absorbing most of the force. But even its Solid Wood cannot stop Shalar's Deadly Spark.
"Tiiimmbbeeeeerrrrrr...." the dwarf yells.
Leafstorm shakes her head, targetting the other beech with Stone Spikes.

Hmm, the maples have two moves left and don't seem to have any intention of using them. Well, technically I could also try stopping the maple from escaping another way...

Urambar laughs, dashing past the sorcerers towards the maple in the corner. The tree whacks the elf with a Strong Bludgeon, but Urambar's armor takes most of the blow.

Shalar and Leafstorm move to surround the beech, the tree trying to escape between the heroes. And finally spending both of its visible moves. The maple finds itself in a pool of lava and the Combustible foe soon fills the clearing again with screeches, the second beech's dying screams joining the duet.

The maple flails about in pain, hitting Urambar with a Staggering Blow that again knocks the fighter out of the fight. Argh, the special attack discarded both armor cards, allowing the blow to do enough damage to take Urambar out...

Leafstorm shakes her head.
"Urambar, Urambar. He's going down more often than my younger sister during the last year's Greeting of the Sun..."



Leafstorm attempts to hit the maple with a Little Zap but fails to get past the tree's two layers of Solid Wood.
The tree turns to face Shalar, forgetting to actually escape the lava underneath it and soon turns into a huge torch.

The wizards turn to face the last tree, Shalar zapping the tree with a Long Spark.
"Not feeling brave enough to come closer, eh? Well, your mistake..."

As the wizards back a little farther to make sure they're out of branch and root range, the maple suddenly makes a break for it, moving towards the other end of the clearing.

Shalar shrugs and the tree finds itself root deep in lava.

Despite getting burned badly, the tree manages to escape the molten rock, only to be struck down by Shalar's Deadly Spark.

Loot: just treasure.

 

Fight three

"Those sparklers are always an interesting sight," Leafstorm notes, watching the approaching creatures.
"Hello, ground to Leafstorm... " Shalar replies, "The interesting sights are also attacking so you'd better do something about it, missy!"



Leafstorm tries to use Memory Loss against one of the sparklers but the spell meets the creature's Missile Block.

As the beeches move closer, Shalar moves towards the other sparkler, hitting it with a Penetrating Zap.
I want to take care of the sparklers first, the trees I can easily take out from distance after that.

As Urambar gets whacked with a Clubbing Branch, Leafstorm dashes towards the eastern sparkler, getting hit by a Devastating Spark.
The elven fighter moves to engage the southern sparkler, but the foe teleports away and behind a bush, the plants preventing Urambar from reaching it with his weapons and the other beech manages to hit him with a Long Thin Branch. And none of the foes are in Leafstorm's line of sight.

Urambar runs around the bush as the trees move towards Shalar. The dwarf runs towards southwest while Leafstorm zaps the closer sparkler in the back with a Sorcerous Bolt. The foe counters with a Devastating Spark against Shalar while Urambar whacks the other sparkler in the back with a Reaching Swing.

The sparklers flee, blinking away, Urambar in close pursuit. The other sparkler turns to zap Leafstorm with a Deadly Spark.



Shalar zaps the closer beech with a Penetrating Zap, the sparklers again blinking to better positions. As this brings both in Leafstorm's sights, the elf quickly uses Stone Spikes against the northern one.

The sparkler winks out as the spikes pierce its skin.

Shalar gets hit by a Long Thin Branch and retreats as the last sparkler does the same. Leafstorm promptly zaps it with a Long Spark, prompting it to attack Shalar with its own spell. Leafstorm uses her second spell against one of the beeches as they march closer. The elf then turns to flee, running past the trees and Shalar, the beeches marching behind them.

Shalar zaps the closer one with a Little Zap but gets hit by a Clubbing Branch, her armors taking some of the damage. I could have retreated with Shalar but then Leafstorm would have gotten hit and the elf had a lot less health...

Urambar catches up with the fleeing sparkler, whacking it with a Bludgeon.
"Lights out!"

Shalar retreats and Leafstorm's Dimensional Traveller helps her do the same.



Leafstorm runs away from the angry trees. Shalar turns to aid her retreat by creating a pool of lava under the more Combustible beech, the tree roaring in pain from the scorching lava.

Shalar gets hit again by a Long Thin Branch, her Reliable Hide keeping her still upright. The enraged dwarf counters with a Deadly Spark against the weaker tree, felling it as Leafstorm attacks the last beech with a Long Spark.
The tree doesn't have any armor cards and already used its attack this turn so...

"Chaaaaaaarrge," Urambar roars, running around the hedge to launch himself at the unprotected tree.



Two hits and the last foe is down.

And its Adventure Complete as well!

Loot: Robe Of Cinders, Oakenheart Shield (the treasure hunt reward, nice!), Sharp Chopping

Checking the shops, Shalar buys an Unstable Staff. Most of the staffs I had in my personal store required two clear talents...
Still no elf skills though.

 

Again I quickly played through Compass of Xorr to get everyone to level 8.

Next the heroes travel to take care of

Order of the Core

Shalar grins, elbowing Leafstorm in a friendly manner.
"Now this is more like it! I'll take a nice foreboding fortress over a bunch of trees anyday!"

Leafstorm looks at the group guarding the entrance.
"Are those humans planning to ... stone us?"



Shalar walks ahead and suddenly a lava pool opens up beneath the elves.
"More like lava us," Leafstorm notes, quickly sneaking out of the rapidly melting floor area.

Leafstorm runs ahead, zapping the closest geomancer twice, the foes retaliating with a Cave In that fills the middle with piles of rock and then casting some Stone Spikes under Leafstorm.

As Leafstorm screams thanks to the spikes piercing her legs, a geomancer tries to hit Shalar with a Devastating Spark, forcing the dwarf to Hit The Deck. Slow progress and my luck with cards isn't that great this time...

Leafstorm uses a Perplexing Ray against the nearest geomancer, the foe shoving her back out of the spikes with Telekinesis.

Urambar tries to climb over the difficult terrain but gets blasted by a Paralyzing Bolt, stopping the elf as well.



Yay, Dimensional Traveller! And conversely, only a single move for Urambar who really needs to move and nearly nothing but moves for Leafstorm who doesn't.

Shalar hits the nearest geomancer with an Unstable Bolt as the foe pushes Leafstorm backwards again. The dwarf pushes on, followed by Urambar who takes a Devastating Spark in the chest.

The geomancers don't even try casting more terrain spells while the heroes are still in the difficult terrain. Sure, those rocks make moving difficult but if I had to save movement cards to avoid lava pools, I'd be in much greater trouble...

As Shalar is finally reaching the edge of the rocky terrain, one of the geomancers makes the mistake of moving too close and the dwarf promptly uses a Little Zap against it.

On the other side, Leafstorm makes it through the difficult terrain as well, moving next to the geomancers to make it harder for the foe to use terrain spells against her. The Cave In effect is just about to clear anyway, so staying back would not do much good.



Leafstorm zaps the nearest geomancer with a Long Spark, the robed foes moving around in panic. Urambar dashes between the western pair and although the foes create a pool of lava under him and Shalar, the fighter is finally in striking range and cleaves both foes with an angry Chop.

Another pool of lava appears underneath Leafstorm as Urambar keeps pounding the geomancers.
"It will take more than lava to stop me," Urambar laughs, swatting one robed foe down with a Trained Bludgeon, then dropping the other with Shalar's aid.

The third one looks at his fallen foes horrified, then turns to flee.
Spark!
"Let's head in."

Heh, they fell quick once I got close.



Loot: Oval Shield, Sensate's Ring.

The heroes switch equipment before moving on, both wizards switching to Lightfoot Cloaks and Leafstorm deciding to use the new Sensate's Ring as well as Orzo's Excellent Wand.

 

Fight two



"Eww, those guys are way too hairy," Leafstorm comments, feeling Squeamish, but zapping one of the scuttlers with a Sorcerous Bolt. Shalar's Unstable Bolt takes the hairy foe out, the others moving closer.
The sorcerers zap the next beast as the other group pushes closer.

Leafstorm's Improved Telekinesis shoves two of the trogs back, leaving Urambar free to charge in the other direction, getting a Predictable Stab in his shoulder and another Stab in his thigh. His Able Bludgeon crushes the first scuttler's nose, making it fall on the ground.



The wizards retreat away from the approaching trogs, until Stone Spikes suddenly begin forming under Urambar.
"Hey, Babar! A foe in a robe that way!"

Following Shalar's directions, Urambar dashes around the little stone wall, reaching the geomancer. The panicked foe hits the elf with a Devastating Spark but the fighter retaliates with two Wimpy blows.

The bigger group of scuttlers veers off to close in on Urambar. Damn, they still had moves left! The fighter gets hit twice, his armor taking the some of the force behind the enemy Stabs.

The wounded geomancer tries to push past the elf, but Leafstorm stops the human in its tracks with some Stone Spikes of her own.



As the geomancer falls, getting pierced by the stony spikes, Urambar barely escapes getting killed (Guardian Angel triggered), but the elf just turns around, dashing after the second geomancer.
"I am invincible," Urambar laughs.
The geomancer looks at the incoming elf with a level gaze, then casts a Hot Spot under the fighter.

Urambar just keeps laughing, whacking the enemy with a Wimpy Trained Bludgeon. The geomancer wisely backs away before getting hit again, but just runs straight into Shalar's Devastating Spark.

The remaining scuttler of the western group chases after Shalar, the dwarf quickly retreating.
The other trog group splits up, one of the foes moving towards Urambar, the other two going after Leafstorm. The elf's Big Zap hits the first one but as she gets hit by a Predictable Stab past her Mail, she retreats as well.

The lone group moves to intercept the elf but Shalar grabs the hem of the elf's skirt with her mind, yanking Leafstorm back to safety.
"Hey, you could have ripped it!"
"Well, a nude elf might distract those beasts enough for me to kill a few..."

I made a tactical mistake here, if I had kept Leafstorm further back, the scuttler would have had to move to Telekinesis range and I could have shoved it into the Stone Spikes. Now I was forced to rescue Leafstorm instead.



The scorching lava ends Urambar's fight (too bad Guardian Angel doesn't help against lava), leaving the scuttlers again free to move after the two women.
And I only drew one attack...

Shalar's Unstable Bolt hits the weakest of the trogs, luckily hitting a spot unprotected by the beast's Tough Hides. The other one next to it tries to stab Leafstorm but fails to get past the elf's armors.

The other trogs move closer. I'm don't want to waste my moves until the geomancer attacks. Shalar and Leafstorm both have two armor cards and I really don't want to end up in lava!

Shalar gets hit by a trog spear as well, the blow doing minimal damage past her protective armors.

The third scuttler moves into range and Leafstorm backs away from it since she still has another Dash in hand and can afford to use the other.

Shalar gets hit by a Cave In but she quickly climbs out, running past the lone trog as Leafstorm does the same on the other flank.



Leafstorm uses a Long Spark to hit the trog moving after Shalar. Again I don't want to move yet, both heroes only have a single move and losing either to lava would be real bad.

The geomancer decides to attack Shalar by turning to ground underneath the dwarf into lava. The woman just grins at the feeble attempt and marches away while Leafstorm retreats from the approaching trogs.
The robed foe manages to slip out of Shalar's sight, leaving the dwarf unable to retaliate in kind but it still leaves the geomancer open to a Long Spark from the elf.

With no other foes in sight, Shalar uses her Hot Spot against the scuttler moving after her but the quick foe manages to escape the melting stone. Damn... Again she gets hit by a Spear Thrust, again her armor taking the brunt of the blow. But I get to pass first.



Well now we're talking!

Shalar's Deadly Spark hits the hairy beast in the face, sending it tumbling into the lava behind it.
The geomancer tries to zap Leafstorm but as the human's spells prove too weak to get past her Mail, the elf counters with a Long Spark that slays the annoying foe. She then again dances backwards, leaving the slower scuttlers growling in frustration.

And I get to discard Unfortunate Surge safely.

The situation's looking a lot better already, now its just two versus two and I should have little trouble taking out the slower scuttlers with this much space to maneuver.

The two women continue their retreat, zapping the slower scuttlers while doing so.

Shalar gets Stabbed (my little mistake), but as her spell boils away the Tough Hide protecting the scuttlers, the dwarf's Devastating Spark and Deadly Spark weaken both foes. I could have also used both to kill one foe but this way I may be able to kill both next turn even if I draw weaker spells.



Yup.

Leafstorm's Sorcerous Bolt blasts the first scuttler down and the second one finds itself sinking in molten stone.

Loot: treasure and Sharp Bashing.

 

Fight three

"Oo, a library! I wonder if the geomancers would let me read through these..." Leafstorm ponders aloud.
Urambar pats the other elf on the back.
"They're not going to complain after I crack some skulls!"



The elf fighter dashes towards the southwest geomancer, lunging to hit the retreating foe, then following up with a Trained Bludgeon as the robed humans try to trap both sorcerers with lava.

Leafstorm easily escapes out of the melting stone, Shalar doing the same.

The fourth geomancer manages to create lava pool under all three heroes. Leafstorm quickly pushes Shalar out of the melting rock, then sneaking out herself. Damn. I was conserving my moves just to avoid this kind of stunt but I was still unable to keep Urambar out of lava...

Shalar shakes her finger at the geomancers.
"Now now boys, don't play with fire or you might get burnt!"

She hits the closest foe with a Penetrating Zap, followed by Burning Fingers and finishes with a Wall Of Fire under the novice geomancers in the back.



The geomancers hop out of the lava, yelling curses after getting burned by their own medicine.
Shalar's Devastating Spark takes out one of them, the other creating another big lava pool under the dwarf.

Urambar hops out of the lava burning his legs but gets hit by a Cave In - along with Leafstorm and the apprentice geomancer himself.

"NO LAVA IN A LIBRARY," Leafstorm yells.
"No women in the library," yells one of the geomancers back.

Leafstorm eyes take on a dangerous glint and yet another puddle of lava appears, this time under the impudent geomancer.

The last geomancer minion uses his action point for a useless Telekinesis so I'm finally free to move.

Shalar marches out of the widening pool of lava as Urambar climbs out of the pile of rocks hindering his movement.
"Melting stones, falling stones.. do you really think you can stop me this easily!"

As if to answer Urambar's challenge, yet another lava pool springs up, although under Shalar. The dwarf just rolls her yes, finally growing tired of evading the molten rock.



The floor is made of lava...

Shalar's feet suddenly rise up from the ground, following the example set by the southern geomancer. Then she turns and zaps the other Hovering spellcaster with a Deadly Spark.

"Chaaaaarrgggeee"
Urambar roars, going on a Wild Run towards the remaining geomancers. His Reaching Swing slays the stronger one with one blow.

"Leafy, he's all yours," Shalar yells Leafstorm.
"No no, this really calls for a dwarf," the elf replies, looking too Squeamish to kill the last foe.

Shalar shrugs and marching next to to the robed foe, grabs the geomancer's belt with her mind and flings the enemy headfirst in the nearest lava pool.

With the enemys dead, Leafstorm looks around, her shoulders dropping as she realizes half the library is now covered with lava.
"Hey now, everyone enjoys a nice, hot story, right?"
The elf just stares at the ruined shelves, not even bothering to dignify Shalar's comment with an answer.

Adventure Complete!

The heroes reach level 9 and gain a new Talent.



Loot: treasure, Neophyte's Axe, Cleansing Diamond (the treasure hunt reward which I'd already found in a regular adventure) and a Field Medic's Pike.

Next up: Return to Woodhome.

 

There's finally an elf skill for sale so Leafstorm learns Novice Agility.

Return to Woodhome

"Hahaa, I told you I'd be back," Urambar laughs as they reach the first undead guarding the river.



"Lure them back, they won't be able to fight as well between the buildings here," Shalar yells to the overly eager fighter.
"You just say that because you'd miss all the action with those slow, stubby legs of yours!"
"And you're just cranky because I woke you up by dumping mud on your face!"

Despite his blustering, Urambar backs away between the houses as the zombies slowly shuffle closer. Leafstorm zaps another one with a Long Spark, then pulls back as well.

As the zombies enter the alley Urambar retreated through, Shalar slips into view, zapping the nearest zombie with her spells. The Festering Zombie turns out to have too Resistant Hide to be affected by electrical spells so the dwarf targets the regular zombie in the second row instead.

The festering undead move closer again, forcing Shalar to retreat inside one of the huts while Urambar gets hit by an Infected Bite.



The fighter roars, engaging the zombies with his swinging clubs. The elf gets hit by a Zombie Mob but his bludgeons do ok damage as well, Shalar and Leafstorm aiding with their arcane spells. Most of the damage gets stopped by the foes' Resistant Hides and the zombies march on.

Shalar realizes she doesn't want to get trapped inside and moves to the doorway, intending to slip out past the undead.

...aaand Shalar's just not feeling very lucky this time.



Urambar retreats, leaving Shalar to fend for herself. The festering foe immediately turns and it stuns Shalar with its attempt to get to her delicious dwarven Brains!

As another walking corpse tries to reach her, Shalar again backs inside.

On the other side of the building, Leafstorm's Little Zaps hit the approaching zombie.



The weakest zombie pushes inside to attack Shalar but as its Festering Guts have finally calmed down, the dwarf is again free to blast it with Unstable Bolt, again failing to hit a spot unprotected by its Resistant Hide. Damn it, the undead have had too much luck with their armor rolls this time...

Shalar gets hit by Zombie Mob, her surging magic causing her to take extra damage from the attack.

On the other flank Leafstorm again hits the approaching foe with a Big Zap (again a successful armor roll) while Urambar again dances closer, hitting the nearest zombie with a Reaching Swing, then pulling back (successful armor roll again).

It's now been 9 successes and 2 fails with the enemy armor rolls already. Whee.

Shalar finally falls to another Infected Bite. And just when I finally got to discard Unfortunate Surge....

As Leafstorm still has no other targets than the resistant festering zombie, she's forced to retreat.



...and to add insult to injury, Urambar draws Wimpy just as he's getting ready for his heroic last stand.

As the festering zombies move closer, Urambar swings his axe but his Wimpy Chop does only minimal damage through the undeads' Resistant Hides (three successful rolls, one failed roll).

The normal zombies move closer and Urambar swings again, finally getting lucky enough to kill the weaker undead. (Two successes, two fails)
The fighter strikes again, failing to do any damage to the zombie. (two successful rolls)

The undead go after Leafstorm's brains, leaving her too stunned to use her Long Sparks against the regular zombie finally moving into view.

...and Urambar draws no attacks.



Urambar's armors manage to protect him from the two-zombie Zombie Mob and the elves try to push past the the zombie towards safety.

Again no attacks for Urambar and the weaker festering zombie again draws Festering Guts.

Leafstorm zaps the zombie trying to stop Urambar with a Sorcerous Bolt, managing to hit a weak spot in its hides. The other undead hits her but its one-zombie Zombie Mob barely scratches the elf.

As Urambar runs to safety, Leafstorm decides to take a gamble and backs away, then turning to hit the undead once again with another Sorcerous Bolt.
This time her luck holds and the spell again hits a weak spot, the zombie blowing up in a shower of rotting guts.

My luck with armor rolls has improved steadily as the the fight has went on. Too bad Urambar is down to 2hp and Leafstorm may fall before getting to slip away from the last festering zombie.



Leafstorm uses Telekinesis to shove the zombie backwards but the zombie just marches right back before the elf has time to retreat. She tries to run past the foe - but gets hit by an Infected Bite. AAARRGGH. Leafstorm's down to 3hp and will die to poison soon.

The elf retaliates with a Little Zap, again failing to penetrate the foe's hides.

I'm forced to discard both of Urambar's attacks as my only slim hope of winning depends on his successful armor rolls.

Leafstorm succumbs to the poison running through her veins, leaving Urambar to fight alone against the zombie horde.
"I am invincible, you cannot stop me," he laughs, whacking the first undead foe with a Trained Bludgeon.

One Infected Bite, one failed armor roll out of three, one elf down. Whee.

--

For the next attempt, the heroes again switch equipment.
Urambar switches to Novice Offense and Parrying Buckler.
Shalar switches to an Arcanist's Staff, Viscous Locket and Thaumaturge's Robe. (Less electricity, more armor discarding attacks)
Leafstorm switches to Sulphuric Staff, Amber Amulet and a Purple Cloak.

 

Attempt two

The heroes wait as the zombies shuffle closer. Shalar got Unstable Bolt and doesn't want to move yet.

Most of the zombie horde go after Urambar. As Leafstorm dashes around the building, intending to move to help him, the first zombie attempts to go after the fighter's Brains!
Urambar easily parries the weak attempt, hitting the undead with a Chop. Ha, no Resistant Hide yet! Too bad neither wizard can quite reach the foes this turn...
Another zombie leaps at Urambar's head, again meeting only a successful Parry.

Having no more attacks, the elf fighter backs away a little.



As the festering zombies again move closer, Urambar is forced to pull back. The undead prove too slow to catch up with him and instead end up targets as Shalar and Leafstorm begin unleashing their magic on the walking first walking corpse.
Penetrating Zap. Dissolve Armor. Long Spark. Deadly Spark. Stone Spikes.



As the zombies pile closer, Leafstorm backs away.
Urambar's Wimpy Able Bludgeon manages to crush the first zombie's spine while another one reaches Shalar, the dwarf getting hit by Zombie Mob.

Leafstorm comes to aid, dissolving the undead's Resistant Hide, allowing the sorcerers to hit the the zombie with full force. Little Zap. Fire Spray. Force Blast.

The women move to better positions, preparing for the zombie's next approach.



Urambar hits the next zombie coming after him but as its Resistant Hide absorbs some of the force behind the blow, it manages to hit the elf with an Infected Bite.
Shalar backs away from other zombie moving their way as Urambar kills his opponent with an Able Bludgeon, then hits regular zombie behind it with a Reaching Swing.

As the zombies pause for a moment, Leafstorm quickly uses an Acid Spray against the first undead.

The attack does no direct damage against the foe but does have the desired effect of softening the zombie's Resistant Hide.

Discouraged by the pool of acid the festering zombie turns around and instead heads after Urambar.



Leafstorm hits the retreating zombie with a Sorcerous Bolt.

The first of the normal zombies reaches Urambar but gets its head crushed by the elf's Strong Bludgeon.

The zombies pause again and the second normal zombie finds itself in a pool of lava while a pool of acid appears under the festering foe.



The burning zombie manages to shuffle out of the scorching lava but doesn't make it far as Urambar's blow decapitates the rotting corpse.
"Brainless and now headless. These foes just get dumber and dumber!"

As the zombie with Festering Guts marches after the elf, the fighter decides to retreat, not wanting to trigger an acid explosion.

With the elf leading the slower corpse on a merry chase around the building, Shalar moves to aid the fighter while Leafstorm heads to take out the last of the normal zombies. I move Shalar first to make sure the zombies have no more moves left.
A Big Zap and a Hot Spot take care of the walking corpse, leaving the heroes facing only the single, barely standing, ready to explode, festering zombie.

It soon meets Leafstorm's Boiling Armor spell, leaving it defenseless against her Long Spark and the walking corpse explodes as the spell pierces its Festering Guts.

"Eww... It's a good thing I'm not the one who will need to clean those zombie guts from the walls..."

Loot: treasure and Holiness.

 

Fight two

"Damn. The undead are rising all around us!"



And one of them apparently manages to kill my connection. This is actually the first time this has happened in the middle of a battle.
Oh well.

Attempt two



This time Leafstorm is in the north corner right next to a regular zombie while the others are in the southern corner, a skeleton between them.

Leafstorm backs away from the walking corpse, leaving the slow zombies easily behind.

The festering zombie leading the other undead moves to attack Shalar, the dwarf backing away as well.

"Rattle 'em bones," Urambar shouts, leaping at the nearest skeleton. His two consecutive blows break the bony foe, despite its attempts to Swarm Attack him.

Shalar softens the festering zombie by attempting to boil its protective hide (turns out it doesn't have any) while Leafstorm gets caught by one of skeletons and hit with a Perforating Strike. The elf prepares to counter with a Penetrating Zap - and my connection dies again.

And yes, the problem is with my internet connection and not the server, I couldn't even ping out for ~ 20 seconds. Drat.

Too bad this means I'll have to start the adventure all over.

 

Return to Woodhome, take two

This time no screenshots and shorter text from the first fight, just in case my connection problems continue.

Urambar defends the smaller passage to the east as the sorcerers guard the middle passage.

The elf kills the first zombie, holding the passage as the main horde forces the sorcerers to retreat.

Dissolving the festering zombies' armor, Shalar attempts to trap the undead in lava but they turn out to have drawn an annoying amount of moves and evade the trap.

Urambar and Shalar get trapped in the narrow passage, the elf fighter finally falling to too many failed armor rolls and poison.
The sorcerers blast down the festering zombie in the other end.
Shalar escapes and the sorcerers kill the remaining regular zombies with arcane spells and lava.

The last festering zombie has a hopeless task of trying to catch the two women and soon ends up dying in a shower of guts.

Loot: Cloudy Charm, Orange Cloak.

Good, my connection problems seem to be gone, now to attempt the second fight again properly.

--
Leafstorm switches staffs, feeling Balsa Staff Of The Magus to be a better match for the next encounter.

 

Fight two



This time Urambar's in the north corner with Leafstorm in the south with a zombie.

Leafstorm's Arcane Curse hits the skeletal foe. The bony opponent tries to hit the elf with a Reaching Swing but the woman easily Blocks the blow with her staff. Rolled a 1 but it was enough in this case.

Amusingly the lone festering zombie drew 4 consecutive Festering Guts on the first turn! Too bad they don't stack, that would have made a really devastating explosion

Shalar hits the skeleton closest to her with a Bungled Bolt, then shuffles aside to get line of sight on the zombie trying to surprise the dwarf from behind. The walking corpse gets a Little Zap in the face.

The festering zombie marches towards Leafstorm but encounters Stone Spikes, the elf using the opportunity to dash away.



The first zombie shuffles closer to Shalar and Urambar, the fighter finally springing into action by whacking the walking corpse with an Able Bludgeon. The foe manages to hit the elf with an Infected Bite but this just serves to anger the fighter.
Two Bludgeons later the zombie is in three parts, its head rolling backwards, and its hip broken in two.

The skeletons move as well and Shalar quickly shoves one of them back with a Force Bolt.
Another one hits Leafstorm with a Swarming Attack, the elf instead blasting apart the one threatening Shalar.

The zombie next to the dwarf tries to hit her but its feeble Mob Attack does no damage against the woman's Weak Armor.

As both sorcerers retreat towards the eastern corner, Urambar runs to aid, Chopping at the lone zombie between him and the women.

The walking corpse's Zombie Mob barely scratches the fighter.


One of the zombies seems to a little lost... By the time it reaches the other end, the others will probably be dead already..

Or not, if I don't draw better attacks than this.

Shalar moves closer to the undead, intending to slow down the enemy advance but the skeletons just run past the dwarf.
Leafstorm slips aside, the first skeleton hitting Shalar with a Reaching Swing. The dwarf counters with a Big Zap but gets hit by a Penetrating Cut.

Taking the confusion as an opportunity, Leafstorm dashes past the skeletons, teleporting to the other side of the hedge.
The skeletons split up, one of the following Leafstorm and the other attempts to slip behind Shalar. This just gives the dwarf a clear avenue to retreat and the skeleton just finds itself in a pool of acid.



With the foes blocking Leafstorm's retreat routes, she yells for Urambar to aid him and the fighter charges in, hitting the skeleton just as Leafstorm gets bit. The elf quickly uses a Hot Spot against the festering zombie.

The skeletons seem to suddenly change their minds and instead move to surround Shalar who quickly retreats south. Losing its previous target the western skeleton turns to hit Urambar instead with a Swarming Attack, the fighter barely staying on his feet as one of his armor layers slows the attack down just enough.

Leafstorm retreats away from the zombie and luckily the enemy is Slowed enough to keep it from escaping the lava.


The big question: does the festering zombie have Resistant Hide?

The zombie marches out of the molten rock unscathed thanks to its Resistant Hide. The same cannot be said of Leafstorm who succumbs to the poison from the zombie's earlier bite.

Urambar roars.
"I'm the bonesmasher," hitting the skeleton next to him with a Trained Bludgeon that breaks the foe's spine.

The last skeleton clatters towards Shalar but it runs straight into the dwarf's Fire Spray and turns to ash.

The festering zombie moves closer to the sorcerer, forcing her to back away and trap the foe with acid while Urambar escapes from the zombies trying to surround him.



Urambar and Shalar both retreat from the slower zombies, Shalar attempting to take out the festering foe with a Hot Spot, this time successfully. Whew, it hadn't drawn another Resistant Hide.

The stronger of the remaining zombies gets hit by Shalar's Deadly Spark and falls face first in the pool of lava that suddenly appears beneath its feet.

The last one soon falls as well to Shalar's spells.

Adventure Complete!

Heh, that was a rather chaotic fight. But fun.



Loot: Stinging Staff, Pirouetting Boots, Giant Skeletal Arm (the treasure hunt reward) and treasure.

 

The bad news: I'll be away until the weekend so there may be no more posts until Sunday.

I have one adventure I've already finished and the report is half-written so I may post that one before Sunday if I have time but I'm not going to try actually playing through 3G.

I'll return to a more regular schedule when I return.