2024/25 Stage 3 Slytherin vs Hufflepuff: Match 1

This time, Ruby didn’t have as much success as she had hoped. The cast was sufficient, but it had unfortunately been evaded. Last round’s Impediment Jinx from Astrea had been good thinking – the Hufflepuffs were now forced to waste a spell getting rid of it. Astrea’s performance this round, though, was much worse, the Blasting Curse she attempted to cast blowing up in her face instead. Had Astrea been anyone else, Ruby likely would’ve been annoyed and given her a hard time. As it was, though, she was mostly just surprised to see such a catastrophic failure from the other girl. At least Bridget had managed to land a hit and the incoming Cracker Jinx had been dodged by all three Slytherins.

Doing as strategised

Round 3

Astrea vs Lea

Reducio

Astrea Soleil Neptunecasts Confringo at Lea Hirsch
Wisdom DC: 17
Wisdom Check: [d20: 10] + 16 = > 17 →
Accuracy Check: [d20: 15] + 20 - 5 = 30
Evasion Check: [d20: 17] + 17 - 4 = 30
30 = 30 → Imp. Hit
Damage: (150 + 10 ARC × 15) * .5 = 150

Bridget vs Lea

Reducio

Bridget Collins cast Conringo at Lea Hirsch
Wisdom DC: 17
Wisdom Check: [d20: 2] + 17 = 19 > 17→ Success
Auto-miss Check: [d20: 20] > 19 → Auto-miss
Damage: (10+ 10 ARC × 8 ) * .9[TP] = 81

Ruby and Astrea

Reducio

Ruby Cazares casts Reparifors at Astrea Soleil Neptune
Wisdom DC: 11 + 2 [LC] = 13
Wisdom Check: [d20: 16] + 17 = 33 > 13 → Success
Healing: 50 + 12 ARC × 8 = 146

Haven vs Brdiget

Reducio

Haven Bohannon cast Nec Divinos Crepitus at Bridget Collins
Wisdom DC: 12 + 2 [LC] = 14
Wisdom Check: [d20: 3] + 11 = 14 > 14→ Success
Blowback Check: [d20: 13] < 19 → No Blowback
Auto-miss Check 1: [d20: 12] < 19 → No Auto-miss
Auto-miss Dodge: [d20: 7] < 19 → No Auto-miss
Accuracy Check: [d20: 2] +11 = 13
Evasion Check: [d20: 2] + 15 = 17
13 < 17 → Miss
Astrea Evasion Check: [d20: 13] + 20 - 5 = 28
13 < 28 → Miss
Ruby's Evasion Check: [d20: 12] + 14 - 5= 21
13 < 21 → Miss

Lea and Lindsey

Reducio

Lea Hirsch spell spreads Reparifors at herself and Lindsey Springhall
Wisdom DC: 11+ 2 [LC] + 2 [SS] = 15
Wisdom Check: [d20: 17] + 12 = 29 > 15 → Success
Healing: 50 + 10 ARC × 8 = 130

Lindsey vs Astrea

Reducio

Lindsey Springhall cast Confringo at Astrea Soleil Neptune
Wisdom DC: 17
Wisdom Check: [d20: 3] + 17 - 3 = 17 = 17 → Success
Accuracy Check: [d20: 4] +14 - 4= 14
Evasion Check: [d20: 16] + 20 - 5 = 31
14 < 31 → Miss
Damage: (10 + 12 ARC × * .9 = 95.4

10:30 on Saturday the 3rd, May 2025...

Sometimes Galton missed the relative silence of flipendo-duels. The bombastic nature of upper-year spells, while dazzling, caused a little too much hearing loss for his preference. But there was magic to heal that!

Hellbent on destroying each other's (and Galton's) eardrums the two teams would cast forward with minds united. Healing and explosions! On the healing side, you had Lea and Ruby, casting a soothing set of Reparifors. On the explosion side? Everyone else. Astrea, Bridget and Lindsey would all go for max-volume, sending Confringos across the piste. While Haven would go for the slightly quieter option, a Cracker Jinx!

While they were loud, the duelists' aim was not the best. Bridget, Lindsey and Haven would completely miss, with the only damage being splinters hitting Lea and Astrea. Astrea would have the closes thing one could call luck this round - she would clip Lea with her confringo. One of the side-effects of hearing loss was a distorted sense of balance, Galton would blame that to spare all of their egos.

Astrea, Lindsey and Lea would all feel a bit refreshed (despite the shrapnel and ringing sound) as the smoke settled. Through the chaos of explosions and fog it seemed each side had had a chance to breathe. But when would they get their next breath?

Information

1. You have 96 hours from now to write your posts. A minimum word count of 50 is needed per post.
2. In the same time period, send me (Galton Lansdale) your team's actions per owl. Do not hint at your actions in your post.
3. Unless asked not to, if all actions have been submitted and posts made, I will (hopefully) be moderating before the deadline
4. If you don't post in the allotted time frame, your action is void.
5. Your Stats, Abilities, and Spells have been locked to what they are now for the duration of this duel.
6. Please owl or message me if you have any questions or concerns!
7. Best of luck, let's have some fun!

The spectator thread for this duel can be found here.
Come cheer for your House and friends!

This constant dodging- or attempts at it, she had found varied success in it- was getting rather tiring, the bombardment of explosions and fire crackers that sent her off balance multiple times. A nice breeze or breath of fresh air sounded lovely and it was exactly what Lea would do as she cast Reparifors on herself and Lindsey. It wouldn't heal everything, certainly not when shrapnel continued biting into Lea's skin as two Slytherins exploded the ground beneath her again, but it was a small comfort.

At this point the extra loud explosion sound ringing in her ears and constantly squeezing her eyes to catch a glimpse of who exactly was behind the smoke had already become somewhat tiring. Haven’s voice sounded like she was still energetic, but all Lindsey could muster was a nod. She wearily observed the battlefield as her own Confringo again missed its target, her tensed muscles only relaxing as Lea performed the healing spell on both of them. “Thanks,” she whispered, eyes crinkling slightly into a smile. Although she could feel her body aching, Lea looked much worse than she did, and Lindsey sincerely hoped that they would all pull through.

"We got this, we got this, we can do this," Haven chanted, like a mantra, as she bounced around from foot to foot, trying to keep her team's energy up, including her own, though she also needed to focus. Her spell had missed, and by quite a bit too. She had to get this next one, especially because it looked like her teammates were doing much worse than her.
"Get it together, they're depending on you," she whispered to herself, clenching her wand tighter. "Okay! Let's do this." She nodded enthusiastically, trying to get them to have some positivity. Although she knew she wasn't the strongest caster, she still had confidence in them! They could do it!

Credit to Prat Pass

So far Bridget had been pretty solidly on the offensive this duel. She switched back to Confringo, looking for the raw force of the spell to shape the scene and... it honestly did not go anywhere close to Lea. If the duelling stage was any place for dwelling on mistakes, she would have looked embarrassed--how many times had she aimed spells at opponents, or teammates in practice, or training dummies?--but as it was, she took the Cracker Jinx flying her way as an excuse to focus on something else. There was no dwelling on mistakes in duelling unless you wanted a spell in your face, which she did not.

At least it was a pretty uneventful volley all around, all missed or only partially landed spells and a pair of Healing Spells. With the fog obscuring about half of the platform, thin wisps floating past Bridget occasionally, they had mutually decided to regroup. Well, and fling explosions at each other, just maybe with less intensity in the execution. It made for a loud, bright stage but not much of a shift in momentum.

Action: Doing as strategized

Ruby loved being on the offensive, that much was undeniable, but sometimes, unfortunately, that needed to be put aside for a moment. She was part of a team, and that meant trying to keep her teammates in this with her. She knew Astrea was a strong caster, and the Blasting Curse always caused a lot of destruction, so the other Slytherin likely wasn’t feeling too good right now. Was healing absolutely necessary at the moment? Probably not. But it seemed the Slytherins had a slight advantage over the Hufflepuffs, so maybe they could spare the time to do a little extra healing, and it wasn’t like Ruby could see much through the fog anyway. Perhaps it also had something to do with her having a bit of a soft spot for Astrea; it made sense that she would want to make sure the other was alright.

Doing as strategised

Though frightfully clamorous in sound, even Nebulus’ cloak could not fool an experienced ear. Astrea’s Confringo shot through the fog like a new swan to water— beautifully, instinctually cast and yet just brilliantly overconfident enough to fumble towards success. It just barely clipped her opponent, as if meaning to humble her by undermining its own effectiveness, and yet remained still begrudgingly better than the fragmented splinters nipping at her feet. From such, it seems as if there had been only one explosive attempt upon her life— their other opponents likely thought themselves wiser than solely targeting one obscured target.

Through the din, likely anticipating her lacking well-being after the fresh humiliation of spell failure, another strategy took form. A refreshing familiar wave of healing magic greeted Astrea like a close companion, her newest wounds and abrasions soothed. Ruby perhaps, based on the positioning. Blinded by the same magical attempt at incapacitation as she, the other remained, as if a Viper’s talent had ever been successfully smothered. With little conversation shared between the three duellists— only partially of Astrea’s deliberate design—, she knew better than to break her self-imposed principles for an acknowledgement that could be better shared after the duel concluded. Ravenclaw had tried their hand at fog charms and explosions often enough that Hufflepuff’s imitations came across as nearly routine.

Action: Doing as strategised.

Round 4

Astrea vs Lea

Reducio

Astrea Soleil Neptunecasts Offendo at Lea Hirsch
Wisdom DC: 16
Wisdom Check: [d20: 8] + 16 = 24 > 16 → Success
Effect: Target suffers -6 Evasion this round

Bridget vs Lea

Reducio

Bridget Collins cast Ventus at Lea Hirsch
Wisdom DC: 17
Wisdom Check: [d20: 2] + 17 = 19 > 17→ Success
Split Chance: [d20: 12] → No Split
Auto-miss Check: [d20: 16] > 19 → No Auto-miss
Accuracy Check: [d20: 10] + 17 = 27
Evasion Check: [d20: 7] + 17 - 6 = 18
27 > 18 → Hit
Damage: (50 + 10 ARC × 15) * .9[TP] = 180
Duration: [d3: 2] → 1 round 1-2: 1 round, 3: 2 rounds
Effect: –4 Evasion for the duration

Ruby and Astrea

Reducio

Ruby Cazares casts Reparifors at Astrea Soleil Neptune
Wisdom DC: 11 + 2 [LC] = 13
Wisdom Check: [d20: 20] + 17 = 37 > 13 → Crit. Success
Healing: 50 + 12 ARC × 8 + 20 (Crit. Success) = 166

Haven and Lea

Reducio

Haven Bohannon casts Reparifors at Lea Hirsch
Wisdom DC: 11 + 2 [LC] = 13
Wisdom Check: [d20: 10] + 11 = 21 > 13→ Success
Healing: 50 + 10 ARC × 8 = 130

Lea vs Bridget

Reducio

Lea Hirsch scast Nec Divinos Crepitus at Bridget Collins
Wisdom DC: 12 + 2 [LC] = 14
Wisdom Check: [d20: 19] + 12= 14 > 14→ Crit. Success
Blowback Check: [d20: ] < 19 → No Blowback Chance, Crit. Succ.
Auto-miss Dodge: [d20: 20] < 19 → No Auto-dodge
Accuracy Check: [d20: 7] +15 = 22
Astrea Evasion Check: [d20: 13] + 20 - 5 = 28
22 < 28 → Miss
Ruby's Evasion Check: [d20: 19] + 14 - 5= 28
22 < 28 → Miss

Lindsey vs Astrea

Reducio

Lindsey Springhall cast Confringo at Astrea Soleil Neptune
Wisdom DC: 17
Wisdom Check: [d20: 8] + 17 = 25 > 17 → Success
Accuracy Check: [d20: 2] +14 - 4= 12
Evasion Check: [d20: 18] + 20 - 5 = 33
12 < 33 → Miss
Damage: (10 + 12 ARC × * .9 = 95.4

10:30 on Saturday the 3rd, May 2025...

It seemed the duelist all agreed they needed one more collective breathe.

That is not to say they were not intent on harming each other, but it wasn't an all out assault like other bouts. The Badgers wanted to make sure no one forgot they were still casting, and still intent on harming, with Lea casting a cracker jinx, while Lindsey sent a confringo. The Snakes had a much more sinister strategy. Astrea would send an offendo over while Bridget followed with a ventus. Finally, both Haven and Ruby would cast a reparifors for their allies.

Shooting over the piste out in front would be Lea's cracker jinx. But it was not the usual crackers - this was an expertly woven bundle of danger. The cast had been flawless, a testament to Lea's skill. But Bridget's response would be just as flawless, a single calculated side-step that seemed to be effortless. The radial crackers would explode in a dazzlingly target-less display. Haven's confringo, like the radial crackers would explode in a fierce display, but only catch Astrea with splinters.

In the face of such a loud offense the snakes combo would not slither silently by. Lea would feel the Snakes' touch as her legs were quickly tripped and the ventus coiled around her. Galton didn't know vipers to constrict their pray, but there were always new lessons in a duel.

The final two spells would coat Lea and Astrea in a warm, magical healing. Ruby's healing would shine particularly bright, as she displayed a textbook-perfect cast for the crowd around. Being able to see it against your usual reparifors made the difference all the more clear.

The fog dissipated and both teams seemed to be in similar spots as before. Who would be first to tip the scales?

Information

1. You have 96 hours from now to write your posts. A minimum word count of 50 is needed per post.
2. In the same time period, send me (Galton Lansdale) your team's actions per owl. Do not hint at your actions in your post.
3. Unless asked not to, if all actions have been submitted and posts made, I will (hopefully) be moderating before the deadline
4. If you don't post in the allotted time frame, your action is void.
5. Your Stats, Abilities, and Spells have been locked to what they are now for the duration of this duel.
6. Please owl or message me if you have any questions or concerns!
7. Best of luck, let's have some fun!

The spectator thread for this duel can be found here.
Come cheer for your House and friends!

Credit to Prat Pass

Even through the fog, the Viridian Vipers had duelled together enough to have a sort of synchrony. Ruby maintained the flow of healing to Astrea, Astrea swept Lea's feet out from under her, and Bridget followed the trip with a Wind Jinx that few people would be fast enough to avoid while so off-balance. Their spells went off in sequence without a hitch, and it wasn't especially flashy but it was effective.

Hufflepuff, meanwhile, maintained the volume level on the stage. Bridget was watching Lea's eyes, predicting where the crackers would be placed, and she guessed right; all it took was an easy side-step to move to safer positioning. The fog had finally cleared enough for her to see Astrea and Ruby again, and at a glance they looked like they were doing fine, Astrea not too worn by the explosions after Ruby's efforts. Good, she wanted to finish this together.

Action: Doing as strategized