Welcome back to "Your Turn To Roll", my Owl House Dungeons and Dragons fanfic. Last time, our heroes made their way to Indahm Isle and entered the Mountain Bird Brawl, a combat tournament hosted by the Order of the Mountain Bird. With them at the monk temple, the gang names their crew the "Witch Blade Pirates" and prepare to enter the main tournament. But with new enemies alongside an old one, how will our heroes handle themselves? Let's tune in and find out.
Round One. Ready? Fight!
The Owl House is owned by Disney and was created by Dana Terrace
Dungeons and Dragons is published by Wizards of the Coast and was created by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson
It was a fun weekend for Luz and her friends after a long week of stuff with family and classes. After Willow's roller derby team won an important game, Luz joined them with Vee and Amity at a Korean barbecue restaurant to celebrate. After enjoying the food and talking over ideas for Skara and Viney's characters being included later, the group went their separate ways. Soon enough, Luz and her friends made their way back to the Noceda home where Eda was talking with Camila over a cup of tea while King was looking over some D books. "You're back! Come on, let's play the game some more. I want to see who we end up fighting in the tournament first," King exclaimed as he grabbed his bag with his supplies.
"Okay, King. Let's get the board and stuff set up," Luz said as everyone decided to head down to the basement and got the gaming table ready.
After several minutes, the teenagers and King were ready to play their game again. "Now, let's begin," Vee said as everyone sat down and Camila watched them to at least hear what happened last session. "Last time, our heroes made their way to Indahm Isle and entered the Mountain Bird Brawl, a combat tournament hosted by the Order of the Mountain Bird. After a combination race and treasure hunt in the island's dinosaur and monster-filled biomes, you reached the temple on Mount Sajinya and figured out the locks that required special jewels to open. When it reached dusk, you were all included in a total of 40 people who qualified for the main tournament battles. With you all signing up for both the single and team brackets, you officially named your group the 'Witch Blade Pirates' and got rest for the next day's events," Vee stated.
"You fought dinosaurs," Camila asked.
"We tried, but Willow was the first one up and she just used a spell to convince it we meant no harm," Gus said.
"At least when I'm at a higher level, I can turn into one," Willow added with a small smile.
"Interesting," Camila said as she looked through the Monster Manual to see what dinosaurs were included.
"We now begin our session with the ring of a loud deep bell, waking up all the participants in the guest dormitories of the Sajinya Monastery. With the bell's ring echoing through the temple, everyone soon wakes up and gets ready for the tournament," Vee states. "How would everyone wake up from their simple cots?"
"Given my background as a soldier, I think Caleb would be fine with the bed and gets himself ready for the day like normal. Bathing, getting armor and weapons ready, having breakfast… That sort of stuff," Hunter said.
"Carmen would be doing the same, making sure her pepperbox is cleaned and functional," Luz voiced.
"I'd be making sure I have all my gear ready after I had a nice sleep," King said.
"I think the rest of us would get our spells prepared for the day, then get cleaned up and ready for breakfast," Amity said with Gus and Willow nodding in agreement.
"As you all handle yourselves, you see several of the participants of the tournament doing their own things. You see several people who you recognize from the day before such as Valafar Orphic's group, the half-elf from Grinberryall, Percival Scalnoir, and Kondai. However, you also see other humans, elves, dwarfs, tieflings, half-orcs, a minotaur, a Tabaxi, a Goliath, and even some humanoids that look as if they're made with elemental energy itself," Vee said.
"Can we roll to see if we know what that last one is," Willow asked.
"I can just tell you now," Vee replied. "You manage to figure out they're genasi, the children of elemental genies."
"Cool," Gus said, excited to see what could happen.
"After everyone's eaten their fill of breakfast, you see Kondai coming up to you all," Vee said before voicing the Aasimar monk. "Hey, guys. I managed to find that jewel where you told me it was. Had to keep that Triceratops away, but I got that sapphire thanks to you. I take it the forest clue was a big help to you?"
"Yeah, we had to fight some Displacer Beasts to get it, but you were right about the forest having the last jewel we needed," Amity said as Philomena.
"Good to hear. I'm looking forward to this tournament," Vee said as Kondai. "I'm fighting in the solo matches, but I'd love to see how you all fight together. I saw your team was also signed up for the solo matches, so it'll be fun to see what you're all capable of."
"Same here," Luz said as Carmen.
"Soon, Jachun approaches with several robed figures. Some of them are even wearing white masks that make you think of Damien Vespera's from Orphechelon," Vee told the others.
"Huh… maybe we should ask Jachun if he encountered those three before," Gus remarked.
"Jachun stands in front of everyone and taps his staff against his shell to get everyone's attention," Vee said before voicing the Tortle master. "Good morning, everyone. I hope you rested well. Today, we begin the tournament. As I said yesterday, there are 32 slots for the single-person brackets and 8 slots for the team battles. To determine who is in which round today, we shall have those fighting draw lots. As for the team matches, you will be rolling dice to see which slot you take. If you roll the same number as somebody else, you will face that team."
"Rolling dice to choose who to fight in the tournament. Why does that sound familiar," Luz asked.
"That's because it's something used by one of the teams in Yu Yu Hakusho's Dark Tournament storyline," Eda said.
"Isn't that ancient," Amity asked.
"It's not ancient. It's from the 1990s," Vee replied.
"If anything's ancient, it's me. I remember watching those episodes as a teenager," Eda remarked.
"Enough about Eda feeling old. Let's get to the battles," King exclaimed.
Vee nodded as she moved on at King's suggestion. "As Jachun tells you this, one of the masked figures holds up a box and offers it to whoever is fighting in the solo matches. Everyone, please roll me a d4 and a d8," Vee said to the players.
Picking up and rolling their dice, the party began to see what their results were. "I got a 1 on both," Luz said.
"I have a 3 on the d4 and an 8 on the d8," Willow said.
"2 and 7," King said.
"3 on d4 and 4 on d8," Amity told everyone.
"4 on the d4 and 1 on the d8," Gus said.
"Max results. 4 on the d4 and 8 on the d8," Hunter declared.
"Perfect. This helps figure out your placements in each block of the solo rounds," Vee said as she pulled out a sheet that had tournament brackets set up. "Carmen is in the first battle of Block A, Sariel is in the fourth battle of Block C, Reverence is in Block B's fourth battle, Philomena is in the second battle of Block C, Wrenn is in the first battle of Block D, and Caleb is in Block D's fourth battle."
"Some of us lucked out having to battle each other," Luz voiced.
"Yeah," King agreed.
"All depends on who we fight in the tournament," Amity stated.
"Yup. All depends on the dice," Vee said as she was repeatedly shifting between differently colored dice and writing down on the brackets. "Honestly, could have chosen a smaller number, but 40 was the first that came to mind when choosing a good number of final entries. Luckily, it's just 32 ideas I don't have to do every battle for," she admitted.
"Otherwise that first round of battles would take us hours," Willow remarked.
"And speaking of that, Jachun speaks up once again," Vee said after she finished writing down the brackets. "If the leaders of each registered team may step forward, we shall give them the dice to roll for their placement," she said as Jachun.
"Since Luz came up with the name, I think Carmen should be the team leader," Amity said.
"Hey, why can't Caleb lead the team," Hunter questioned.
"Because you said he'd be against being called a pirate," Gus reminded.
"Fair," Hunter muttered as he crossed his arms.
"I'd step forward," Luz said.
"When you step forward, you see Valafar and a minotaur join you. Alongside them are a monk in emerald green robes, an auburn-haired woman with leather armor, a man wearing armor decorated with the emblem of Bahamut, a dwarf with plate armor, and a drow half-elf with a flute in hand," Vee described. "Roll a d8 for me, Luz."
Luz grabbed her d8 again and rolled to see what result was given. "That's a 4," Luz said.
"Then the Witch Blade Pirates will be in the second battle of the team rounds," Vee replied before rolling her own dice a few times. "Okay, I've got the team results. After all the group leaders roll their dice, the monks write down the names of the groups before presenting them on a board for all to read," she narrated. "When you look at the board, you see that your opponent in the second battle of the team matches is a group known as the 'Bubblegum Renegades'. The other teams are as follows. The Trinity Palm is going against Phosphor in the first match, the third battle has Invidia fighting the Mithril Miners, and a group known as Oracion Clover battling the Holstein-Quartz Family."
"Bubblegum Renegades? Sounds like some sort of parody of a 1950s rock band," Hunter remarked.
"I'd listen to them," Gus voiced.
"After the teams are listed, you hear a cackling that's becoming familiar to you as Valafar Orphic dramatically points to you, Carmen," Vee said to Luz before speaking as the winged Tiefling. "Kneel before me and tremble, pirate lady! For you face the terror and might of my elite squad of minions! These three girls have skills you could never comprehend! They are darkness. They are despair. They are my Bubblegum Renegades!"
"Not exactly a name that fits that description," Luz retorted as Carmen.
"Ugh, I know. But we put it to a vote and the bear was the tiebreaker. If I didn't trust these three with my life, I'd fire them," Vee said as Valafar, making him sound like a teenager who was upset at his team name not sounding intimidating. "But it doesn't matter. For we shall slaughter you in the tournament! AHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"Wouldn't that be against the rules," Willow asked in Sariel's voice.
"At this point, a monk does state there's a 'no killing' rule in the tournament," Vee said before speaking as Valafar again. "Well, so to speak. But anyway, you shall soon face the menace and power of our group! Just as soon as we know when we're actually battling each other. There's a lot of people going to battle," she said dramatically, then switching to a casual and friendly tone.
"What exactly is first? The solo matches or the team battles," Amity asked.
"Jachun now speaks up again since the brackets have been selected," Vee said before speaking as the Tortle. "We shall start the first day of the single-person matches. For these, you are allowed to use magical items, spellcasting, and any sort of method of battle as long as you do not kill your opponent. These battles shall all take place within different areas of the island at different times. As such, you can see your allies battle or what sort of opponents you may face later. To help with getting to the battlefields, we have skilled arcane practitioners as members of our order. They along with some monks who have been trained in the Way of Mercy will be able to help you recover from injuries sustained in battle," Vee said as the old turtle monk.
"Interesting. Magic to take us to different battlefields? This is sounding like one of those kung fu island tournaments in martial arts movies," Willow remarked.
"The first battle of Block A shall begin soon. Challengers A1 and A2 please prepare yourselves," Vee said as Jachun.
"I'm the first battle, so I'll ask Jachun if he knows about the trio from Orphechelon," Luz said before clearing her throat. "Grand Roshi, I have a question. Have you ever encountered three men by the names of Damien Vespera, Lensherr Craven, and Beowolf Romero," she asked in Carmen's voice.
"Ah, yes. The Fallen Aasimar and the Drow I met several weeks ago said those were their names. They were involved with a man by the alias of 'Edge', who was hunting some of the creatures that live on this island. I fear that man might be a poacher or a smuggler. In any case, the men you asked of attacked this monastery in an attempt to steal some items we had," Vee explained as Jachun. "Myself and several monks were able to fight them off and I was able to injure the Drow. As for the one named Damien, he was able to injure one of our monks and steal his mask. I believe he chose to claim it as a trophy."
"If it makes you feel any better, my team and I were able to stop them with help from a man called Doctor Chaplin," Luz said as Carmen.
"Ah, Buddy. He's an old friend. I'm glad you had the chance to meet him," Vee responded as Jachun. "But enough reminiscing on the past. We must focus on the present and your battle, young Carmen. It shall be held in the courtyard to begin," she added in the elderly voice. "You then see a monk armed with a coiled weapon step up to a raised platform that's 25 feet by 25 feet. As you step up and into the battlefield, several robed figures nod to each other before arcane symbols and magical energy appear around one of them as they do intricate movements," Vee said. "After a few seconds, panels flash into existence before becoming invisible moments later, forming a barrier around the battlefield."
"What happened? Can we figure it out," Amity asked.
"If you and Gus want, you can roll an Arcana check to find out. I'll let you know if you succeed," Vee told them.
Grabbing their dice, Amity and Gus rolled to see what they got on the skill check. "I have a 15 total," Amity said.
"Mine is 18 total," Gus said.
"Let me roll," Hunter said before tossing his d20. "18 plus everything… 23 total," he declared.
"While Philomena and Wrenn haven't seen this spell before, Caleb recognizes it as something wizards under the employ of the Empire have used. This is a Wall of Force spell," Vee explained, then handed him an info card on the spell's effects.
Taking the card, Hunter read it over before speaking in character. "A Wall of Force? Looks like they're playing it safe just in case anything were to happen to the temple if people went all out," Hunter remarked in Caleb's voice.
"The battle shall end when either fighter is knocked out or falls out of bounds in this area. Iron sharpens iron. Win or lose, use these battles as a way to improve yourself as you'll come across many types of opponents when traveling life's roads," Vee said as Jachun. "Let the battle begin!"
"Guess I roll for initiative," Luz said before tossing her d20 onto the table. "I got a 14 on my die for 21 total."
"As for this human monk you're fighting, he rolls a total of 13," Vee said. "You manage to get the first move. What do you do as you fight this martial artist on flat ground?"
"Well, since I can't hide behind anything like King likes to do, I'll start by drawing my sword and going to slash at him for a Sneak Attack," Luz declared before rolling her d20. "12 for 19."
"That hits. Go ahead and roll your Sneak Attack," Vee said.
Taking 3d6, Luz rolled them and checked to see what her total for her first attack was. "That's a 1, a 4, and a 5. Looks like I dealt 16 total damage to him. Thank you, Dueling," Luz said as she was happy with her rolls.
"With a swift slash to the monk's shoulder, you manage to get the first hit and injure him," Vee said. "But now, he unfurls his weapon and attacks you." Vee then rolled a d20 to see if the attack would hit Luz's character. "His rope dart lunges out at you and with a 15 on his total attack roll, he manages to hit you in the shoulder with the blade at the end of it," she said before rolling her dice. "That'll be a total of 9 slashing damage dealt to you on that first attack. Next, he'll go in for another strike by punching at you," Vee said before rolling for another attack. "He misses as you pull back from the damage to your shoulder, but he'll spend a ki point to perform Flurry of Blows, giving him two more unarmed strikes."
"Man, Monks hit hard and fast," Hunter remarked.
"I know. That's why I want to play one with a custom subclass that I've been working on with Vee," Willow said.
"The next attack hits and deals 6 bludgeoning damage. The last attack also hits for 7 bludgeoning damage," Vee said to Luz. "After you dodged that first punch, he spins around to kick you in the leg before following through with one to the stomach."
"Ouch… Okay, I'm at 32 hit points now," Luz says.
"As the monk ends their turn, they start to spin their whip-like weapon around in a flourish, preparing for the next move," Vee says. "Your turn."
"With that much damage I took, I'll use my Ring of Shooting Stars to cast Guiding Bolt on them," Luz said before rolling her die. "That's a 13 to make 19 total on my ring's spell attack."
"That manages to get past the Agile Parry of this Kensei Monk," Vee said. "Go ahead and roll 4d6 of radiant damage."
"I love magic," Luz said with a smile before rolling her dice. "That's 13 radiant damage dealt as I blast the monk with a bolt of light magic. Then I'll go with an Action Surge to attack with advantage thanks to my spell's effect," she declared before rolling another attack. "4 on the first roll, but an 18 on the second. That makes my attack 25."
"That hits," Vee said.
"With my Swashbuckler skills, I manage to deal 19 damage," Luz stated.
"That wins it for you," Vee declares, making everyone cheer. "How do you want to do this?"
"I think that after I blasted the guy, I'd slash at his weapon and kick him over the side of the battlefield so he hits the wall," Luz decided.
"With a strong slash that cuts the rope dart into pieces, you hit the monk in the chest before kicking him out of bounds. When that move wins it for you, the wall is taken down and Jachun speaks," Vee said before voicing the elder. "Our first battle's victor is Carmen Valentina!"
"We'd all be cheering for her," Amity said.
"Yeah, we would," King exclaimed.
"Our captain managed to set the bar way up there," Gus said.
"After the masked monks tend to the injuries of Carmen and her opponent, the next battle has a Tabaxi monk and a traveling nun face each other. The wizards of the monastery use magic to teleport everyone to the grasslands of Pellucidar Plains and the battle soon begins," Vee stated. "The young holy woman tries to keep the snow leopard man away by casting Spirit Guardians. However, he powers through the magic and then strikes at her with strength and precision, seeming to stun her before another trio of strikes ends up knocking her out."
"Dang, looks like I'm going to have to fight Tai Lung next," Luz said.
"Somebody call the big fat panda," King exclaimed, getting a laugh out of everyone.
"After the nun tends to her own injuries after her defeat and the monks treat the Tabaxi, he looks at Carmen and gives a smug grin when he knows she'll be his next opponent," Vee said. "The next fight has Percival Deveraux Scalnoir going against a Goliath man wielding a mace and wearing plate mail."
"Sounds intimidating," Eda remarked.
"The Mountain Bird wizards transport everyone to the forest at the base of the mountain, just a few hundred feet away from where the Witch Blade Pirates fought the Displacer Beasts," Vee stated. "When the battle is about to begin, Scalnoir is in full armor with his helmet on, but he seems unarmed. The Goliath chuckles at that and taps his mace in his open palm. But then Scalnoir holds out his hand and his sheathed sword appears in his hand from a dark flame."
"Whoa… That's cool," Luz said.
"With both warriors armed, the battle starts with Scalnoir making the first attack. He starts by drawing his sword and thrusts his shield forward, sending out a Chromatic Orb spell against the Goliath. With a 19, he manages to hit the half-giant with a blast of fire for 18 damage," Vee said. "The Goliath retaliates by running in closer to strike at Scalnoir with his mace, but a gray figure appears from behind Scalnoir and attacks with the half-giant."
"What!? What kind of class does that," Hunter exclaimed in surprise.
"Oh, I know this from Critical Role," Luz said. "It's an Echo Knight, which makes these alternate timeline 'echoes' to join the Fighter in combat."
"But none of you know this in the game, so it seems like some strange magic of sorts you're unfamiliar with," Vee said before rolling for the attacks. "24 total on the first, the second is a miss, and the echo's attack just hits," she muttered. "Scalnoir gets struck with the mace the first time, manages to block the second with his shield, then gets hit in the back by the doppelganger that showed up to deal a total of 15 bludgeoning damage from the two successful hits. Confused, but interested, he focuses and unleashes a spell by slamming his shield on the ground, creating an echoing boom as a Thunderwave spell is used to blast and push back the Goliath 10 feet. The spell knocks him back into a tree while also causing the echo to vanish and petals from the nearby trees to scatter 10 feet as well. The impact hurts him, but the Goliath just glares daggers at the armored tiefling," Vee narrated.
"This is so awesome," Gus said.
"Yeah, it is," Amity agreed.
"The Thunderwave spell and the crash ended up dealing 5 thunder damage and 6 bludgeoning damage respectively, so the Goliath attempts the same tactic as he's not that smart," Vee said before rolling her attacks. "The first one misses, the second one just misses, and the echo's attack also misses. Scalnoir was able to read the half-giant's attacks and counters each by blocking with his shield and sword," she said. "Scalnoir then swings his sword after it starts to burn with white-hot flames. Caleb immediately recognizes this as Searing Smite. The attack Scalnoir makes with his longsword just hits and he strikes at the goliath, igniting it as he cuts into the side of his armor. He takes 7 slashing damage and 5 fire damage."
"Dang. And Searing Smite's concentration stays until the enemy can make a Constitution saving throw to put out the fires. Otherwise, they'll take a d6 of fire damage at the start of each turn," Hunter remembered.
"He's got a burn like in Pokémon," Luz remarked.
"The goliath will try and roll his save," Vee said. "He succeeds and tries to strike at Scalnoir while the echo relocates to another part of the forest battleground. With two swings of his mace, neither gets through Scalnoir's armor and he manages to trade places with his echo thanks to the magic of it."
"Oh, that's cool," King said, liking the Echo Knight's abilities.
"Scalnoir attacks the echo with his sword and cuts it hard enough to make it vanish. He then runs toward the Goliath and swings with his sword, but gets a natural 1 and his weapon gets stuck in the trunk of a tree and the next attacks against him will have advantage," Vee said after rolling her d20.
"Oh, he's gonna get it now," Eda remarked.
"The Goliath grins as his opponent is open to an attack. The attacks are blocked by the durable armor Scalnoir wears, but it was a very close call," Vee stated after rolling her dice four times. "Mad at not being able to do anything, he prepares to attack again at the next chance her gets. However, this gives Scalnoir the chance to pull his sword free thanks to the impacts against his armor shaking the blade loose. He then slashes at the half-giant twice, but both end up missing as pulling it from the tree did throw off his aim."
"Ha! Sucks to be him," King exclaimed.
"This is taking longer than with me," Luz remarked.
"The Goliath laughs as he swings his mace and manages to get one good hit in for 9 damage on the first swing, then follows up with a second that becomes a critical hit," Vee said.
"Whoa! This might end with him losing in the first round," Gus exclaimed.
"The mace swings into Scalnoir's stomach to inflict a total of 15 bludgeoning damage to him," Vee said. "The Goliath laughs as he boasts about his incipient victory, but Scalnoir uses his bonus action to use Second Wind to recover 10 hit points. After picking himself back up, he swings his sword once again. He manages to hit the other fighter in the shoulder for 6 slashing damage, then swings his sword again and hits for another 11," Vee said.
"Dang, I wonder how much this guy is at," Luz wondered.
"He's got to be low at this point," Amity theorized.
"And now, Scalnoir will use an Action Surge to try attacking again," Vee said before rolling her d20 once more. "The attack misses, but he swings one more time and manages to slam the pommel of his sword into the neck of the Goliath to knock him out."
"That was a close one," Hunter said.
"As Scalnoir is declared the winner, he speaks to the Goliath as he's being tended to by the Mercy Monks," Vee said. "If anyone wants, give me a Perception check to overhear them. We'll say this is a DC 15 from the distance."
Picking up their dice, the players began to roll and see if they could tell what was happening. "I got a natural 20," Luz said.
"Okay, we don't need to roll," Willow remarked.
"Carmen's able to overhear Scalnoir speaking to the Goliath warrior and hears this," Vee said before speaking as the bounty hunter. "Your skills in combat and unique abilities are very remarkable. I could use somebody like you on my team of bounty hunters. All you need to do is hit anything I tell you to attack."
"Makes sense if the guy's dumb," Amity said.
"The Goliath ponders this for a second before he speaks up," Vee said before speaking in a voice that one would easily assume belongs to the clueless muscle of a gangster's crew. "Okay. You got it. I'm Yonguro 'Canyonhorde' Rexalidala."
"Interesting name. I think I'll call him 'Canyonhorde' in my notes," Hunter remarked as he and the others started writing things down.
"For the next battle that now takes place at a mountain pass in another part of Mount Sajinya, you see the smaller Tiefling of the Bubblegum Renegades battling against a rogue dressed from head to toe in black leather. In contrast, the Tiefling by the name of Geist is only wearing a black cloak and is wearing regular leather armor. When the Tiefling hides away from the ninja-like opponent, you witness her create a glowing blade in her hand," Vee described as she narrated the next battle. "When you get a close look, you see it seems to be some sort of box cutter. But then another one shows up, then another, and another until both hands held five blades like a set of claws."
"Whoa, what is this," Amity asked.
"Geist then smirked before throwing one set of blades at the enemy with the attack striking. After the blades hit, they left no visible marks and vanished just as fast as they hit. After dealing heavy damage from that Sneak Attack, she hides away to avoid the rogue she fought," Vee said. "After another example of that same power, Geist manages to take the win and looks happy that she didn't receive any injuries. When she reunites with her team, you see that she goes from a tough-looking assassin to more of a young girl spending time with her best friends on a good day."
"That power seems interesting. Reminds me of that one X-Men character that could make her own energy weapons," Camila remarked before finding the page in the book with the specific subclass. "Oh, it says it's a Soulknife Rogue. They create blades of psychic energy to fight with and even use their psychic powers to give themselves an advantage on some skills."
"Okay, now I want to either play that or an Arcane Trickster if I play a Rogue," Gus said, considering another character idea for the future.
"After that battle, the first block of the brackets is complete and the wizards teleport everyone to the top of a mesa in Pellucidar Plains to begin the second block's matches," Vee stated. "Jachun tells everyone that the battle will be between a Dragonborn with a battleaxe and a Wizard. When the battle begins, the Wizard attacks with a Magic Missile spell, but the Dragonborn shrugs off the damage easily before entering a rage and attacking with his battleaxe. The Wizard quickly casts a Shield spell to block it before he takes damage, and then a sort of crystalline object starts to float around the Wizard after the spell is cast. When the shield was created, the crystal created with it glowed before the color dulled immediately, as if the strike against the shield drained the power from the crystal."
"Huh, would I recognize this magic thanks to Philomena's family," Amity asked.
"You would. One of your siblings is an Abjuration Wizard, so you'd know that crystal is a personalized version of an Arcane Ward," Vee said before continuing. "Swinging his axe a second time, he hits at the Wizard's shield once again and the Arcane Ward's glow fades fully and the axe blade cuts into the wizard's bicep, dealing 5 damage because the Arcane Ward protected him from most of the damage," she told everyone.
"Nice," Willow said.
"After the Wizard recovers, he uses Misty Step to get to the further end of the mesa and runs another 20 feet back to the edge before casting Lightning Bolt," Vee stated before rolling her d20 for the Barbarian and the dice for the spell damage. "With advantage on the save thanks to Danger Sense giving him a warning in the back of his mind to get out of the way quickly, he avoids most of the electric damage. What would have 30 lightning damage has been lowered down to half, then further halved thanks to the Barbarian's subclass, the Totem Warrior and giving himself the Bear Totem spirit to protect himself from more damage," she told everyone.
"Whoa, he survived a big hit," King exclaimed.
"After that attack, the copper-scaled Barbarian gets in close to the wizard and when he sees that the spellcaster isn't in immediate slashing range, he takes a deep breath and unleashes an acid breath attack," Vee described, surprising the others. "The acidic green liquid splashes all over the Wizard to deal a total of 11 acid damage as the robes worn by the magical man start to burn and melt."
"Oof, that's gotta hurt," Gus remarked.
"Seeing that the Barbarian is not letting up, the Wizard tries to use Tasha's Mind Whip and unleashes a stream of psychic power, but the Barbarian only suffers a small headache as he succeeds on the saving throw, then attacks with his battleaxe, knocking the Wizard out cold and winning the battle," Vee said before voicing Jachun. "The winner, Novahdam."
"Okay, that was cool," Hunter said.
"By this time, it's time for Reverence to battle. When everyone is taken to an abandoned village on the north side of Mount Sajinya, the tiefling sees that he's facing off against the elf girl of the Bubblegum Renegades. She's wearing a green and brown cloak over leather armor, has a quiver of arrows on her back, a longbow with it, and a totem in the shape of a trio of bears. By her side, she also has a brown bear covered in green markings," Vee states.
"HEY! NO FAIR! Why does she get to have the bear with her? I thought these were one-on-one matches," King shouted as Reverence.
"The bear is not considered an entry in the tournament, but a part of the person's talents for the battle," Vee said as Jachun. "Think of the animal companion as a living weapon that she can use alongside her."
"I still say she's cheating," King exclaimed as Reverence.
"Look, are you just going to complain? Because I'd love to just get this over with if you are. Me and Gio here are okay with you giving up," Vee said in the elf girl's voice.
"I'm not giving up! We're fighting," King said as Reverence.
"Jachun then starts announcing the beginning of the match," Vee said before speaking as the Tortle. "Block B's second battle. Reverence VS Sumi Amakiir. Let the battle begin!"
Immediately, Vee and King rolled their dice for their initiative results. "I have a 5 to make 13," King said.
"Sumi got a 12 for a 15. She gets the first attack," Vee said.
"This will be interesting if King has to fight that elf girl and her bear," Eda muttered.
"Sumi will start by attacking twice with her longbow," Vee said before rolling her d20. "The first is a 10 total and the second is 15."
"That second one just hits me," King says.
"You manage to dodge the first arrow, but end up rolling into the path of the second, which cuts into your shoulder for 6 piercing damage," Vee says. "Sumi then uses her bonus action to tell her bear to attack you after it reaches you."
"Oh no," King said, worried about his character becoming bear food.
"Wait, I thought they had to give up an attack option," Hunter asked, remembering the rules.
"Yeah, but that limitation is so terrible and it's why the Beast Master is mocked so much," Luz says. "It's better to homebrew changes for an improved subclass."
"Exactly," Vee said before continuing. "The bear attacks and with a 24 total, it goes to maul Reverence."
"I'll use my reaction to perform Uncanny Dodge, halving the damage I take," King declared.
"Good call. That's 8 slashing damage lowered down to 4," Vee said.
"Okay, if it's my turn, I'll use my bonus action to disengage and duck into one of the buildings to hide. With my cloak, I have advantage on the roll," King said before rolling. "That's a 12 on the first and a 4 on the second. I manage to hide with an 18 total."
"As you duck inside the old house, Sumi narrows her eyes as she loses sight of you. She then orders her bear companion to sniff you out," Vee said before rolling her d20. "With advantage on the roll, Gio the bear sniffs you out and manages to find you after beating your Stealth check. He alerts Sumi to your location and she tries to attack. But thanks to your hiding spot, you have an extra 5 to your armor class because you're behind cover."
"Oh, thank you," King sighed with relief.
"She lets loose her arrows and the first one strikes before the second hits the building's wall. You end up taking full damage from the arrow with 11 points of damage," Vee said.
"Uncanny Dodge! It's only a reaction, so I can use it as long as I can get my reaction back," King declared.
"Then that means the attack is lowered to 6 piercing damage as it hits your other shoulder," Vee said.
"Okay, that's 16 damage dealt to me. I'm at 34 at the moment," King said. "I'd like to escape out the window and climb up the roof before hiding again after making my way to the roof of the next building. My Second-Story Work should help me out."
"That it does," Vee said. "Roll me an Acrobatics check, then a Stealth check with advantage."
Grabbing his d20 again, King started rolling. "19 on my Acrobatics to make 25! I jump like I'm in a kung fu movie," he exclaimed. "And for Stealth, 2 on the first roll and a Natural 20!" The table erupted in cheers when he got the best rolls he could. "I'm a ninja!"
"Ha! Now I'm imagining this whole first round as a montage set to the Ninjago series theme song," Luz said. "Jump up, kick back, whip around, and spin~ And then we jump back, do it again~"
"That would be awesome," Gus agreed.
"As Reverence makes his way to the roof of the next building, Sumi exits and looks around while Gio starts sniffing for the Tiefling," Vee said. "However, even with a total of 23, Reverence is hidden from the archer and her mystical bear."
"Excellent," King chuckled. "I'll get my hand crossbow ready and attack her with advantage since she can't see me," he said before rolling his die. "I got another natural 20!"
"Whoa! Lucky you," Hunter exclaimed.
"All the dice results can be rolled again or doubled," Vee said. "Go ahead and roll your Sneak Attack."
King grabbed the 4d6 he needed, then shook them in his hands before dropping them into his dice tray. "5, 2, 4, 6… That's 17, so it would be 37 piercing damage," King said.
"You take aim at Sumi and fire a crossbow bolt into her back, injuring her badly and taking out over half her health in one shot," Vee told King, making the kid laugh in excitement at turning the battle around in his favor.
"I'll then use my bonus action to hide again. With my hood still up, I got a 12 and an 11. That means my Stealth total is 18 again," King declared.
"After that hit, Sumi has Gio sniff you out again and the bear growls as he manages to find you, then starts climbing up the building with ease," Vee said. "Luckily for you, Sumi's focusing more on getting her wound patched up with a Cure Wounds spell at 2nd-level. She recovers 14 hit points and isn't able to attack you."
"I'll jump back to the other building again with my movement, then climb down to hide inside," King said before rolling his d20 a few times. "Acrobatics check is a natural 20!"
"That's like your third one," Gus exclaimed.
"I'll let you be able to get down the house and right behind Sumi with that because I'm impressed. You'll also get 20 feet of movement," Vee told King.
"If that's the case, I'll use my silver dagger and stab her in the shoulder," King declared.
"I'll let this be with advantage because Sumi herself didn't see you," Vee added.
Rolling for his attack, King read his dice result aloud. "5 on the first roll and the second is 17, which makes it 24."
"Roll for your Sneak Attack with your plus 1 silver dagger," Vee said as the attack was successful.
Rolling his dice, King grumbled as he saw the results. "1, 2, and 1 on the d6s. But the dagger itself is 7 damage. That's a total of 11 piercing damage."
"Sumi feels the dagger dig into her shoulder, but her armor manages to protect her enough to still be able to move," Vee said.
"I'll move back behind that barrel near that alley, then hide," King declared before rolling again. "10 on the first and 9 on the second. That makes my Stealth 16 total."
"After that damage, Sumi turns around and uses a spell on her next arrow, causing the shaft to sprout thorns after she nocked it into the drawstring," Vee said before rolling her d20. "As Gio climbs down, Sumi attempts to make her own Perception check and spots you behind the barrel that gives you half cover. You've got a plus 2 for your AC and any Dexterity saving throws. Which comes in handy since she releases her arrow and it hits. This has you take not only 8 piercing damage from the arrow, but you need to roll a DC 14 Dexterity save or take the full damage of a d10 roll of extra piercing damage."
"Either way, I'm using Uncanny Dodge to half the total," King declared before rolling his saving throw. "I got a natural 18. I make that save."
"That means instead of an extra 6 damage with the 8, that means you only lose 7 hit points," Vee said. "When the arrow hit you in the shoulder, it splintered into a Hail of Thorns that you managed to avoid the majority of."
"Ouch. That's gotta hurt," Willow said.
"It's my turn and I'll climb up the walls with Acrobatics by jumping between the walls of the alley," King declared before rolling his d20 again. "17 on the die for 23 total."
"With the skills of a martial artist, you make your way up to the rooftops again and flip onto the roof for a higher position," Vee narrated.
"I'll use my bonus action to hide again, then take aim and fire my crossbow," King said before rolling his 20-sided die. "Natural 1 on the first roll, so if I get another of it, I guess somebody left a perfectly good gong lying around and I knocked it over," he remarked, getting a laugh out of everyone. "The second roll is 15 for 21."
"You manage to hide yourself from Sumi and Gio, then aim," Vee said.
"Okay, let's see if I can get this win since I used up my movement here," King declared before rolling. "14 and 5. That first one is the real result with a modified 20."
"Roll your Sneak Attack," Vee confirmed.
Taking his d6s again, King hoped to get enough damage to win. "Okay, a 1 on my main attack for 4, then the rest equal 11 again for a total of 15 piercing damage."
"With another bolt lodging itself into her leg, Sumi grunts in pain before she has Gio sniff you out again," Vee said. "However, the bear doesn't find you thanks to the wind keeping your scent away from him. Sumi decides to cast a 1st-level Cure Wounds to patch up her leg and the bear totem on her belt glows as she restores herself as much as she can with the level she used."
"My turn again," King declared. "Second verse, same as the first. I'll attack with advantage since they couldn't find me. And that's my fourth natural 20 this battle!"
"Did you make a deal with some magical being without me knowing, kid," Eda asked, surprised as much as everyone at King's luck.
"Doesn't matter," King declared. "Rolling dice. And my total on the dice is two 5s, a 1, and a 6. That makes the dice doubled 34 to make it 37."
"How do you want to do this," Vee asked, making the players cheer.
"Okay, I wasn't expecting this to happen because of that bear and her going first, but I'm happy to win. Reverence fires his crossbow and manages to hit the girl non-lethally in the arm when her guard is down. Make her lose her quiver too," King said.
"After Sumi Amakiir healed her injuries enough and started reaching for a new arrow, your bolt flies true and pierces through her forearm to cut her quiver from her back, causing her ammo to fall onto the floor as she crashes down," Vee described.
"I hope that girl's okay," Camila said.
"After Reverence is declared the winner, the Mercy Monks prepare to help Sumi. But just before they reach her, Valafar swoops in as he flies from the spectators toward his ally. The second he saw the Wall of Force go down, he made his way in. He reaches into his bag and pulls out a potion that he then feeds to Sumi, getting her to wake up," Vee narrated. "After he and the monks made sure she was alright, Valafar turns to Reverence and the two tieflings look at each other," she added before speaking as Valafar. "Impressive win. But if this weren't combat where killing was forbidden, I would burn you alive for hurting my minion."
"Ugh, Boss… He was just trying to win. That's all it was," Vee then said as Sumi.
"Yeah. Besides, aren't you fighting later? You should get ready for it in the last block," King said as Reverence.
"Very well. But know that this won't be the last you face of my minions, fellow devil-blood," Vee declared in Valafar's voice. "He then flies off while Sumi's bear helps her onto his back and heads off," she narrated.
"I'm liking this guy because he cares about his friends a lot, even if he calls them minions," Willow remarked.
"The rest of the second block continues. The next battle takes place in Pellucidar Plains, where an area full of dinosaur bones has a dwarf in plate mail facing off against a cloaked Druid who has a scroll in their hand," Vee said. "The Druid goes first and with a flourish of their scroll, their body transforms into a starry version of themself. Their skin becomes luminous, their joints shimmer like stars, and glowing lines connect the orbs on their body."
"Okay, when did we step into Kamen Rider Fourze and encounter a Zodiarts," Gus asked with a chuckle.
"With the new starry form, the Druid then sends a Guiding Bolt at the dwarf. Unfortunately, the spell misses and only hits the ribcage of a dinosaur body," Vee said. "After that attack, the dwarf grips his large hammer and swings at the Druid. It manages to hit and deals a total of 10 bludgeoning damage to the Druid. On the second swing, it misses as the Druid ducks out of the way."
"This is fun. Let's see what this Star Druid does," Luz says, liking the fight so far.
"The Druid casts another Guiding Bolt and it manages to hit the dwarf and deals 15 radiant damage to him," Vee said. "The armor of the dwarf also begins to sparkle with stardust as the effect of the spell takes hold. The druid then backs away as far as possible, but ends up taking a swing of the dwarf's maul for 13 damage," Vee said.
"Oof, too bad they couldn't disengage," King remarked.
"However, dwarves are shorter than humans and don't have the same speed, so the dwarf can't reach the Druid. Instead, he'll cast his own Guiding Bolt spell," Vee said. "He manages to hit the Druid, dealing 12 damage. The Druid's hanging on barely after that attack, so they'll cast Heat Metal on the dwarf's armor, dealing 7 fire damage before running away again."
"Let's see what happens," Amity said, interested in seeing who would win.
"After the armor is heated and the glittering from Guiding Bolt fades, the dwarf hisses in pain before rushing toward the Druid as far as possible before attempting another Guiding Bolt of his own," Vee stated. "Unfortunately, this one misses and it gives the Druid time to cast Cure Wounds at a 3rd-level to heal 22 hit points. With another surge of heat burning at the dwarf thanks to the Druid maintaining Heat Metal, that deals another 10 fire damage."
"This is getting good," Eda said as she snacked on some popcorn.
"When the dwarf Paladin tries to hit the healing Druid, he can't hit them because of the burning armor throwing off his focus," Vee stated. "After that, the Druid gets back and after dodging another opportunity attack, the constellation on their starry body glows, forming a luminous arrow as they move their arms like they're drawing a bow. With the arrow flying forward, it just misses the dwarf by bouncing off his shoulder's armor."
"So close," Hunter muttered.
"The Druid makes up for it by forcing more heat to damage the dwarf, resulting in another 4 fire damage," Vee said. "The Paladin tries rushing in and attacking again, but both attacks miss. The Druid then decides to disengage and run for it. They begin to climb the dinosaur bones and manage to make it up higher," she said. "The dwarf then takes another 8 fire damage from the Heat Metal spell's effect before the cloaked Druid aims with the luminous arrow again. Unfortunately with a natural 1, they end up shooting themselves in the foot. Literally. They end up taking 9 radiant damage."
Everyone started to laugh at the result of the critical failure. "Oh man, I'd hate to do that," Luz said between chuckles.
"Hehehehe, yeah… That would be bad," King agreed.
"After that bad luck, the Dwarf Paladin decides to strike at the dinosaur bones with his hammer," Vee said before rolling her d20. "Even with disadvantage from the Heat Metal, he manages to hit the bones twice and it causes the skeleton to rumble and crack. However, the Druid manages to get to another section that wasn't struck and is able to stay higher above the dwarf while the other section crumbles," she added.
"I would have never thought of striking the bones," Hunter commented.
"After that, the Druid attacks with another arrow, but it only hits the ground next to the dwarf's feet. This failed shot has the Druid continue focusing on the heated armor, which deals 7 damage instead of 14," Vee says. "After that, the dwarf strikes the bones once again, but only hits once and the damage doesn't have enough to make it fall like last time," she said.
"Let's see that Druid hit the guy with an arrow this time," Gus cheered.
Vee rolled her d20 and smirked as she looked at the results. "With a natural 20, the arrow finally flies true and deals 19 points of radiant damage as the arrow of light strikes the paladin in the chest. The impact ends up knocking the dwarf out cold and the cloaked Druid is declared the winner," Vee said, getting everyone to cheer.
"Awesome! I wonder who fights them next," Willow said.
"I wanna know who's next on the roster," Hunter asked.
"You'll get your wish as the final battle of Block B is starting at the courtyard of the monastery again. The contestants this time are a minotaur that looks less like a beast and more like a handsome man with beastly traits such as horns, hooves, and a tail," Vee said. "He wears no shirt and only a pair of pants to show off his bronzed skin and rippling muscles alongside a bull tattoo on his shoulder. He carries a greataxe over his shoulder and you see a trio of teenagers cheering him on. He waves and smiles at them before focusing his viridian eyes on the dwarf in front of him, who appears to be drinking from a gourd and it doesn't seem to be water from the smell of it," she described.
"If he's some shirtless anime hunk with pecs and abs on display, Carmen's openly staring and drooling over the beefcake," Luz says.
"So would Sariel," Willow added with a grin.
"Philomena would take a look at him and be indifferent," Amity remarked, getting a chuckle out of the girls.
"Caleb would be looking at the minotaur and observing him closely," Hunter said.
"Probably out of jealousy," Gus whispered to King, getting the younger boy to laugh.
"The battle soon begins with the minotaur taking the first move. He starts by tensing his muscles and enters a rage," Vee said as she described the battle. "The first swing of his axe misses, but the second one hits. Before he does damage, I'll make this attack into a Pushing Attack. I roll a d8 alongside the weapon die and add the result to the damage. The dwarf monk must also make a Strength saving throw or be pushed back 15 feet," she declared before rolling the dice. "That's 2 on the greataxe die, plus 2 for his rage damage, his Strength, and the d8… 15 total slashing damage from that successful hit. As for the save, the dwarf manages to barely make the save and isn't pushed back."
"Whoa, he's a Barbarian multiclass? That's interesting," Hunter said. "Battle Master Fighters are pretty skilled."
"Maybe you could play one later," Gus suggested.
"Back to the battle, the dwarf monk attacks and the first hit is successful for 6 damage reduced to 3. He tries to spend a ki point to do Stunning Strike, but Viridian's massive minotaur muscles are too tough to get through," Vee stated. "He succeeds the Constitution saving throw, forcing the monk to try another attack instead. The second attack misses as Viridian pushes away the punch coming at him, but the monk spends another ki point to use Flurry of Blows. The first attack misses and the second manages to hit, dealing 10 reduced to 5 damage. After the attacks, the dwarf begins to stumble around and can disengage for free, allowing him to back away and circle around the minotaur."
"Interesting. Let's see what happens with our beefy boy," Luz remarked.
"Viridian makes another attack, but the first swing of his greataxe misses. Luckily, the second one strikes and this regular attack is a very nice one," Vee said after rolling her dice. "He got an 11 on the die, so it's 18 points of slashing damage total."
"Whoa, that's impressive," Willow said.
"With that major hit, the monk is yelling in pain before he takes his next move. The first punch misses and the second hits for 7 damage reduced to 4. After that, he spends another ki point to strike and gets another hit in on the first attack as well as the second. The two hits are 5 and 7 for 12 total, so the damage is reduced to half that," Vee stated. "Viridian retaliates by swinging his axe again to get a hit on the first swing, but misses the second one. The axe does 14 total damage, but he also takes an Action Surge to strike again. The next two attacks manage to hit, but he's taking the chance to non-lethally end the fight as he punches the monk in the face and stomach. With the monk passing out, Viridian wins and he lets out a victory cry as the three teenagers rush in and give the guy a hug. That's when you see they all have enough similarity to each other that you can tell they're siblings."
"Huh, neat. The big brother won the battle," King said with a grin.
"Wasn't expecting them to be siblings," Amity remarked.
"Same here. But it definitely shows different types of minotaurs and other more monstrous-seeming races are varied. They aren't just brutes," Willow said.
"Exactly," Luz agreed. "Let there be ones that look different, but are still the same species. Let them show more than just strength when it comes to their characterization. It's more fun to imagine a minotaur, lizardman, or dragonborn as something than just what looks like a monster!"
"You're right about that, Luz," Gus added.
"As the Mercy Monks tend to the dwarf, Jachun speaks up," Vee says before voicing the elderly Tortle. "With this, we have reached the halfway mark of the single-person matches. We've seen plenty of great battles to begin, so I hope to see more after we allow a short rest for our spellcasters to prepare for the next bouts."
"Good to know, because I actually need to use the bathroom," Amity said, rushing out of the room.
"Okay, we'll take a break and continue in a bit," Vee said. Everyone nodded before they left to handle what was needed. As they did so, Vee double-checked her notes and hummed in thought before she figured out an idea for the next battle in the tournament. "Willow might love this idea," she chuckled to herself before getting the character sheets ready.
And with this, the first part of the tournament arc is finished. Halfway through stage 1, so expect more fights, especially since the team battles haven't even started yet. With the first half of round 1 finished, we've got two of the Witch Blade Pirates advancing, but also Scalnoir, who has successfully gained a new ally in the form of a Goliath Echo Knight Fighter. Let's see who else he can try to convince.
As for the next battles, I'll say it right now. I'm going to try testing out a homebrew Monk subclass I was thinking up for Willow if she played a Monk. I hope you enjoy seeing what I have planned for it, even if it's just going to be the features at Level 6.
Viridian is actually one of a few of my own OCs I had planned for a next-generation RWBY thing since I already have my own RWBY OCs for what happened in canon. I would have used my favorite OC for RWBY, but I couldn't figure out a good build for her with 5e. But with the new 5.5e in the 2024 Player's Handbook (which I'm not using at the moment for this fic), I can see her being the new version of the Elements Monk with a Farmer background. Instead, the Holstein-Quartz siblings would be her kids and they'd look up to her, their Gunslinger father, and their warrior legend grandfather (who would be a Barbarian/Fighter multiclass like Viridian). As for the rest of the siblings involved in this tournament, you'll see what these versions of them can do.
Until next time, WaterDragonMaverick signing out.