SEASON FINALE (Part 2): PvP on the High Seas!

As the enemy ship sank, a crackle of magical energy ripped open a dimensional vortex, which appeared on deck before the party. Out of this portal stepped the crew of the enemy ship, with weapons drawn, ready to “commandeer” the ship that just sank their own vessel! The enemy party was as follows:

Cindersoul Genasi Swordmage (defender with dominion over dimensions)
Elven Dual Weapon Ranger (damage dealer with high mobility)
Kobold Chaos Sorcerer (damage dealer with devastating, but unreliable, spells)
Human Battle Cleric (damage dealer with healing powers)
Dwarven Crossbow Artificer (healer with draining attacks)
Human Bear Druid (the leader of the group)

(This party is actually the party from my other DnD group, which I also DM! Instead of using monsters, I actually used their character sheets to determine their stats and attacks! This ended up being a lot of work on my end, but it also was an extremely strategic and challenging encounter for everyone involved, with the tide of battle shifting back and forth very quickly.)

Our heroes elected to focus all of their attention on the healers, while the enemies split their damage between Artix (technically a healer) and Rolith (a defender). The enemies had several tricks up their sleeves; just as the party was about to finish off a healer, the would-be victim would either be saved by the other healer, or teleported to safety by the Genasi Swordmage. This was frustrating at first, but also strategically relevant, as they forced the enemy party to expend most of their heals early on the fight, while Ai No Miko conserved friendly healing with a summoned “Spirit of Healing,” one of her daily powers. It was her Spirit that ended up being a major component of the party’s success; without that spell, the party surely would have been worn down and defeated one by one.

There were several unfortunate failures on both sides during the bout. The Kobold Sorcerer critically failed on his first and most powerful spell, wounding himself and knocking his comrades off balance. The Dwarven Artificer also missed with most of his relevant attacks, although he was able to moderately heal his allies in the beginning. Conversely, Dumoose critically failed on an attack and sent an arrow soaring into Rolith… it seems like he used up all his luck in the naval battle!

Through attrition, the party was eventually able to down the Cleric, while the Sorcerer practically blew himself up with another critical failure. The Rangers in both parties missed with many of their special moves, but our heroes kept hammering away at the invaders. The enemy Druid kept Cysero, Artix, and Rolith dazed and wounded, and all three of them were knocked out at several points in the fight, although some quick healing and resourcefulness put them back on their feet.

Still, even with two of his comrades down, the Genasi Spellsword continued to confound our heroes with his trickery and damage mitigation techniques. The party focused on him next! Their rolls were fortuitous enough to eventually punch through his high armor and protective spells, but not before he reduced ALL damage from Dumoose’s critical hit with his “Firedeath” ability! Dumoose was certainly not happy about that, but it did indeed boost the party’s resolves (and ire!).

With victory firmly within their grasp, the party brought down the hulking bear Druid, who was still charging around the battlefield, disrupting our heroes' defenses. The enemy Ranger, threatened by Cysero, tried to take an unconscious Rolith hostage in a desperation move, but she was thwarted mid-swing by Artix and his “Fearless Rescue” ability! It was that timely act of heroism that put the Ranger out of commission for good. The Artificer, seeing his comrades fall, stoically accepted a warrior’s defeat, and went down swinging.

And so, our heroes were triumphant! It was a long, hard fight, but they had come out victorious. Their destination appeared over the tranquil night horizon, and they landed on an outcropping of obsidian rock off the coast of Thalassia. It is here that they will begin a new adventure, exploring an unfriendly foreign land. What perils await them? What secrets will they discover? What will Rolith get by, and what will Artix roll a one on next?!

Find out soon, in Season 2!