2024/25, Stage1 Slytherin vs Gryffindor: Match 1

Credit to Ernest Baird

The benefit and challenge of opponents you knew well was the familiarity. You knew the strategies they'd played and the mistakes you'd made, and that's why Bridget knew that if she went for Meenauh right away she might end up with her own spell in her face. So instead she turned her focus to Evelynn and summoned a disorientating mist, then hurried away from Galton's Fulgari.

Things had gone marginally better for Slytherin in those opening moments, but they were far from securing the upper hand. Bridget adjusted her footing and prepared to keep chipping away, spell by spell toward the less familiar territory of beating this Gryffindor team.

Action: Doing as strategized

They'd learned. It was bound to happen at some point. They had known this, but they'd grown so used to the normal that they hadn't thought to ask themselves if anyone else had noticed. It was possibly one of the most thrilling aspects of dueling. A strategy was never going to be perfect forever.

Their opening strategy, as perfect as it had sounded, was now looking substantially more average. Galton and Evelynn's performance was clearly not what either had expected when they'd planned things. Meenauh's was exactly what he would expect from his partner, but then we were back to their complacency and the snakes' cunning. At the least his reflects had guided him out of harm's (Astrea's) way.

They'd need to shake it up then. Shake off the tingles - that he had totally shaken off before the match - and shake off the less-than-successful last round.

Action: Shaking it off

Had the lion not begun a duel with the same manoeuvre last year, perhaps Meenauh's startlingly effective shield could have been clever. As it was, it appeared as little more than a tempting trap. Mindful of their opponents' most useful habits, Astrea twisted easily out of the way of a luminous Fulgari before pushing back with her own split spell.

Two pressurised jets of cool water— more fitting for a summer's day than the indoor chill of late October— shot forth across the piste, one handily dodged and the other well-collaborated with Limbo Mist. It was a spell seldom used, yet one of surprising merit to its late education.

Strangely, as if salt upon the wound, such doubled disorientation had somehow invited an additional spell to incapacitate their Gryffindor threat. This they couldn't have accounted for. She could not complain, yet a backfire was far from the stellar performance Astrea expected of their only performing sixth year upon the piste. Duelling against one's seniors was a privilege little appreciated behind a blindfold.

As a general rule, however, gauging competence from the first round of a duel was ill-advised. Slytherin's momentary success (if the slim margin could be classified as such) was not guaranteed to last. Staying her judgment for lack of current evidence, Astrea hoped only for a worthy war of attrition to test their mettle.

Action: Doing as strategised.

As duels typically did, this one started with a bang. Her teammates dodged a spell at the same time as they hit their mark. But Ruby? She had gone to cast alongside her teammates, but right as she did so, she suddenly... what, forgot the spell she intended to use? The brief lapse in memory that occurred as she tried to cast was unlike anything she had ever experienced before. That kind of thing just didn't happen to her, let alone during something as critical as a duel. She was unfazed by most things, but this spooked her slightly. She was uncertain whether there was something wrong with her or whether some other magic was at work, but the implications of forgetting a spell during a duel were absolutely, completely unacceptable. She couldn't let it get in her head now, though—she still had a job to do. Any concern was soon suppressed, because she had to focus on their next move. There would be time after the duel to try to process... whatever had just happened.

Doing as strategized

Round 2

Bridget Collins vs Meenauh Silmataurea

Reducio

Bridget Collins casts Offendo at Meenauh Silmataurea.

5% Auto-Fail Check: [d20: 17]→ No Auto-Fail (Evelynn's Wampus Hair Wand)

Wisdom DC: 16
Wisdom Check: [d20: 12] + 16 = 28
28 > 16 → Success

Effects: Meenauh suffers -8 Evasion (-4, with additional -2 Evasion for each 5 points AP [10]) for the current round.

Ruby Cazares vs Meenauh Silmataurea / Galton Lansdale

Reducio

Ruby Cazares casts Confringo at Meenauh Silmataurea and Galton Lansdale using Spell Spread.

5% Auto-Fail Check: [d20: 6] → No Auto-Fail (Evelynn's Wampus Hair Wand)

Wisdom DC: 17 + 2 (Spell Spread) = 19
Wisdom Check: [d20: 12] + 17 = 29
29 > 19 → Success

vs. Meenauh
Accuracy Check: [d20: 6] + 17 - 2 (Spell Spread) = 21
Evasion Check: [d20: 1] + 10 - 8 (Trip Jinx) = 3
21 > 3 → Hit

Damage: 150 + (12 × 15) = 330

vs. Galton
20% Auto-Dodge Chance: [d20: 9] → No Auto-Dodge (Galton's Evasive Manuevers II)

Accuracy Check: [d20: 18] + 17 - 2 (Spell Spread) = 33
Evasion Check: [d20: 12] + 18 = 30
33 > 30 → Hit

Damage: 150 + (12 × 15) = 330 * (.95) = 313.5 → 314

Astrea Soleil Neptune vs Meenauh Silmataurea / Galton Lansdale

Reducio

Astrea Soleil Neptune casts Ventus at Meenauh Silmataurea

5% Auto-Fail Check: [d20: 14] → No Auto-Fail (Evelynn's Wampus Hair Wand)

Wisdom DC: 11
Wisdom Check: [d20: 20] + 15 = 35 → Critical Success

Auto-Split Target: Galton (Critical Success)

vs. Meenauh
Accuracy Check: [d20: 4] + 20 = 24
Evasion Check: [d20: 9] + 10 - 8 (Trip Jinx) = 11
24 > 11 → Hit

Damage: 50 + (10 × 15) + 70 Critical Success = 270
Duration: 1 Round (Auto-Split)
Effects: Meenauh has -4 Evasion for 1 Round.

vs. Galton
20% Auto-Dodge Check: [d20: 17] → Auto-Dodge (Galron's Evasive Manuevers II)

Meenauh Silmataurea vs Bridget Collins

Reducio

Meenauh Silmataurea casts Nec Divinos Crepitus at Bridget Collins.

Wisdom DC: 12 + 2 (Astrea's Lovely Creature) = 14
Wisdom Check: [d20: 15] + 25 = 40
40 > 14 → Success

10% Auto-Miss Check: [d20: 7] → No Auto-Miss (Astrea's Terrible Presence)
10% Auto-Dodge Check: [d20: 14] → No Auto-Dodge (Bridget's Evasive Manuevers)

Accuracy Check: [d20: 16] + 13 = 29
Evasion Check: [d20: 14] + 14 = 28
29 > 28 → Hit

Damage: (50 + (12 × 15)) × 0.9 (Astrea's Terrible Presence) = 207 * .9 (STR) = 186.3 → 186
Duration: 1 Round (Spread to targets)
Effects: Bridget has -3 Wisdom for one round.

10% Rebound Chance: [d20: 10] → No Rebound

Radial vs. Ruby
Accuracy: 29
Evasion Check: [d20: 14] + 12 = 26
29 > 26 → Hit

Damage: (20 + ( 12 × 8 )) × 0.9 (Astrea's Terrible Presence) = 104.4 → 104 * .95 (STR) = 98.8 → 99
Duration: 1 Round (Spread to targets)
Effects: Ruby has -3 Wisdom for one round.

Radial vs. Astrea
Accuracy: 29
Evasion Check: [d20: 12] + 19 = 31
29 < 31 → Miss

Evelynn Decipio

Reducio

Evelynn Decipio Removes her Blindfold

Effects: Evelynn is no longer blindfolded, and accuracy/evasion are restored.

Galton Lansdale vs Astrea Soleil Neptune

Reducio

Galton Lansdale casts Fulgari at Astrea Soleil Neptune.

Wisdom DC: 16 + 2 (Astrea's Lovely Creature) = 18
Wisdom Check: [d20: 9] + 20 = 29
29 > 18 → Success

10% Auto-Miss Check: [d20: 8] → No Auto-Miss (Astrea's Terrible Presence)

Accuracy Check: [d20: 16] + 17 = 33
Evasion Check: [d20: 17] + 19 = 36
33 < 36 → Miss

Even after all this time, Jake STILL had to cover his ears when the explosions started flying. Yes, this was an advanced duel for you. Destruction everywhere...SO MUCH DESTRUCTION.

Evelynn would likely hear nothing but chaos around her, her senses still distorted as she tried to get her blindfold off. Miraculously, no spells came her way, but she would hear the cacophany of sounds as the other students cast.

A brilliant display of fireworks (or at least exploding wizard crackers) were sent out from Meenauh's wand, which would surely send the Slytherin team scrambling, but no! They held their ground. Bridget and Ruby were pelted, but then Meenauh's feet would come out from under her - Bridget's trip jinx had hit its mark! It would take all Meenauh had to remain on her feet as she stumbled, and every snake knew how to take advantage of an opportunity. An equally brilliant confringo was fired from Ruby at the Gryffindor team, hitting both Meenauh AND Galton, and if that wasn't bad enough, Astrea's perfect wind jinx headed their way too!

Somehow Galton was able to dodge out of the way, the boy had always been nimble, but Meenauh - still trying to keep her balance - was not so lucky. Pelted with both spells, she would surely be feeling that one. Galton, trying to keep control of this duel attempted again to tie up Astrea, but the girl was able to JUST dodge his casting. Evelynn finally got her blindfold off, back in the fight, but definitely not 100% - the limbo mist was still hovering all around.

Jake dared to move his hands again, this round of explosions seemingly through. But he was sure it wouldn't be too long until the next salvo.

I N F O R M A T I O N

• You have 96 hours from the timestamp of this post to owl me, Jake Morris, your actions. If you do not send your actions or post within the allotted time, your action is void. There are no extensions.
• Word count minimum is 50 words, but feel free to write as many as you like. Do not hint at your actions in your post, as it'll let the other team strategize against you.
• Your stats, abilities, and spells have been locked as of the posting of this thread. Any new spells that are added after today cannot be used.
• For any questions, comments, or concerns I ask that you only contact me through my owls.
• Check the latest patch, especially the parts about the KO limit, ARC Power, and the round limit!
• And most importantly, have fun!

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[Spectator Thread: Morning]

Hi all, I realized that I was not supposed to increment Evelynn's Auto-Fail Counter in Round 1, as from our patch discussion, when a wisdom check fails, spell-spread counter should not increase. I have edited this round's mod post to remove the AFC and will have it updated going forward.

(I also forgot to add the AFC to Ruby but have now edited that in as well)

Though primarily focused on hindering their opponents’ potential threat, it was obvious that the Vipers’ performance aimed to exemplify combinations of only the most advanced spellwork witnessed by Hogwarts’ greater duelling scene. How appropriately ambitious it seemed for Slytherin to aim towards securing advantage, however slight it was, before venturing onward. With every step forward, the other team stepped back— for this, even the scantest impression of upperclassman prowess could not remain uncontested.

With one Gryffindor semi-incapacitated and the other two wading in dangerous waters, the sheer explosion of ensuing noise was better fit for a small natural disaster. Astrea, shrewdly participatory in all manners of collaboration, did not expect much of her unintentionally split Ventus. Even so, its simple effectiveness as a control spell marked it as a happy accident of underlying greatness. Content to take full advantage of shown weakness, it was her greatest privilege to witness such rapid destruction upon their enemy lines. Skilfully dodged though one spell was, the sheer showmanship of their duel’s second round was admirable.

Yet it was so frightfully early into the duel that any true pride had the lurking potential to become humbled hubris. To this early success and the threat of unpredictability, Astrea could only trust in their strategical skills and luck to carry them towards victory.

Action: Doing as strategised.