Game: Great minds think alike (Part II)

Ian raises an eyebrow. "Fairly easy? I detest undead, bad for business, but I would vastly prefer to fight 10 of them instead of Xanarox alone. But, as it has been said, the ideal situation is no fight at all."
"I don't know about the mist itself, but even if the mists black access to the shadow plane, the tower wont be in mist. I can use the shadow plane as a way in. In addition to my spectacular hiding abilities, I have a few tricks up my sleeve that can hide my from the eyes of others. But, assuming that Xanarox or the liches have some version of the True seeing spell, those Illusions will be of little use. I do, however, have another spell that isn't an illusion, and can not be countered so easily. I have the ability to summon a cloud of dense fog, dense enough that seeing beyond five feet is simply impossible, and even closer ranges are difficult. The only thing I know of that can clear it quickly is a blast of fire, but that can be hazardous to them as well."
"Exactly what we can do with this is of some debate, but it does mean we can hide from his sight. Combined with my access via the shadow plane, I can get in, and have a brief period of time that I can attack while they are confused and lost in the fog. I have an idea that will probably deal with the undead, but that still leaves Xanarox. Suggestions?"

OOC: I found it here.

Sadly, there is no discription for exactly HOW it works (IE: what do I have to roll? How does one escape it?)

I can only assume that it works instantly and successfuly, and it is impossible to escape. Ever.

I can find NO FAULT in this logic.

OOC: Joyblood? I don't suppose you could give a ruling here, could you? I'd just like to know what, if anything, I have to roll to do this. Because if it happens to be a roll I don't think I can make, I have to change my plan.

OOC: So, how many grapple checks do I have to beat him on to successfully capture him in the hood? And when I do, what does he have to do to escape?

To escape a net requires a DC 20 escape artist check, or a DC 25 strength check. Considering the Capture Hood actually binds their arms to their sides in the process, I would imagine escaping would be somewhat more difficult.

"So, does anyone here have anything that I can use, or that you can use on me, to improve my chances of capturing him. Anything that can make me stronger, or him weaker, would be preferred."

Ian pulls out one of the sheets of paper him his haversack, and hands it to Naruk. "Make sure you learn this, too. It's one of the identification scrolls Charrd gave us before we left. We have a number of magical items that are completely unidentified, one of them might be useful."

"So, it would seem to me that our plan is thus:"
"Tomorrow morning, we shall depart to locate the tower. Blackthornes, myself, and anyone else who feels they have the skills of stealth required, will approach the tower, and attempt to locate the portal, Xanarox, and the Lichs. We will need at least one person to stay near enough to the tower to signal the rest of you to come if we run into trouble."

"After locating our objectives, if its at all possible I will attempt to distract them long enough for you all to make it to the time gate. In the more likely possibility that the time gate is under guard, I will make use of a quick shadow plane jump to surprise the lichs and, under as many forms of cover as I can manage, incapacitate them using the scroll. Success or failure, I will retreat via the shadow plane, and we regroup. We'll need to make sure the lichs can't free Xanarox from the capture hood, so we really need to have them out of the fight before we use it. If the scroll fails, we'll fall back to this sanctuary and make a new plan based on our information."

"With, hopefully, one or more lichs removed, we'll proceed to incapacitate Xanarox with the hood. I'll use the shadow plane again to jump him and keep him from targeting you with my fog, while the Masked Gnoll runs up with Naruk and the capture hood. If the fog is still in place, he won't see you coming until your within 5 feet. Naruk uses the antimagic sphere to lower his defenses, while the Masked Gnoll grabs him. If, at this stage, the lichs are still on the field, everyone else will focus on them. Otherwise, stay ready to help in whatever way you can."

"Since, being the distractor, I am the most likely to face Xanarox's time powers, I will entrust the key to someone who is not likely to be facing Xanarox directly, in this case Saath or Azure."

"Anything that you guys want to add?" Ian asks.

"That would be... very bad in a nonspecific way." Ian says. "My abilities tied to travel in the shadow plane are not unlimited. The two major restrictions we were told to always adhere to were these: short jumps, and one person at a time. The shadow plane is far from uninhabited, and the reccomended distance is supposed to be no more than 50 feet. anything farther and we run the risk of attracting attention before we can escape."
"And as for the one person at a time thing, it was never fully explained what happens if I try to take someone with me. It may simply fail if I try, or I might only bring half of him with me. That would actually be an ideal solution, in this case. But there is a very real chance that we will both die in the process."
"If it comes right down to it... I'll take the risk. If it simply fails to bring him along, I escape. If any of the other two, the problem is solved." Ian says grimly.

Xanarox is a high risk encounter. The objective when facing him is to escape into the past, with or without incapacitating him, with minimal casulties. If our casulties can be ristricted to a single member while escaping into the past, we win. My survival is not, in itself, neccessary for the success of the over all mission. I would prefer not to die, but sometimes thats just how it goes.
Also, there is a chance that the gem the succubi gave me might just save my life from any form of death that isn't being erased from time. I'm not counting on it, but its a possibility.

"There's any number of possible results, only one of which is my death. Not to mention, if I did take him to the shadow plane, do you honestly think he would let me leave it alive?"

"If and when he is in the capture hood, one of us, probably the masked Gnoll or Sejanus, will carry him into the mist. Or better yet, if we close him in this sanctuary, I doubt he will be able to open the door very easily."

"That last part depends on how far away the tower is. Obviously if it's too far, shutting him in here would lose its practicality. At the very least, we'll want to toss him into the mist. And maybe bury him in rubble. We'll see how it goes."

When I signed up for this job, I made a comittment equivilant to a promise. I keep my promises. Neverminding that bit of information, I find it unlikely that I could leave this job now even if I wanted too.

"If you think it might provide us some advantage, I'll give the wine a shot." Ian says.

"I'll give it a try then." Ian says to Naruk.

"Yes. If it all possible, I'll try to direct my visions toward Xanarox, and you see if you can discern the location of the time gate. Any information we garner on either of these topics could be vital, and it represents the specific objectives we we face tomorrow."

Ian listens to naruks instructions. "So will I just pass out, or will it effect me when I go to sleep? Just wondering what preparations I should make first."

"I'll get to remodelling my mind blade then. It should be done by the time we move out tomorrow."
With that, Saath finds a comfortable spot to sit, shapes his blade and starts concentrating on it.

Ian takes the bottle and drinks the rest, taking time to taste it. He hands the empty bottle back to Naruk. "Thanks. Here's hoping I can put it to good use."
Before he falls asleep, Ian will spread his cloak out on the ground, near one of the walls that doesn't have a door in it, and lie down.
"Now, no shenanigans!" Ian says in a parody of a stern voice.