"Likewise, lady Longstrider," she'd heard the name when announced "...Much more than that lack-lord Lufenia spoil-sport did, I expect!" Aria clicked her heels together as she hopped alongside the towering Rose. She tossed the other tomahawk at the ruffle-shirted goblin atop the massive mastiff. It gashed the creature across its bony brow, and its beady baleful eyes seemed to go starry, although somehow the wound itself seemed to reseal a bit momentarily, like putty springing back into shape.<br/><br/>Whisking shurken from flat pockets, the redhead whirled the silvery-violet star-shaped blades through the air, making smaller flashing circles than the axes'. She was visibly less familiar with the proper manipulation of these weapons and their exact shape, but otherwise expedient with the plucking and tossing.<br/><br/>A missile from each hand sank into the side of the muscular throat of the hellhound from her diagonal angle; the beast's wobbling knees now spilled out from under it, great ruddy chain-barded body sagging upon the cobbles.<br/><br/>The goblin rider squawked, and made a canny, reflexive jerk with its body as if to dodge some attack its forebrain had not yet fully processed. From its sinking saddle, the goblinoid scallywag avoided one shuriken, but threw back its head as the next pierced ts throat; it then sagged akimbo and limp in its saddle.<br/><br/>Aria flung shuriken at the further foes; one bounced off the far hellhound's armor, but she narrowly lacerated along the neck of its flinching rider, causing the goblin to rock off-balance in its saddle.<br/><br/>Far behind, and not turning to look, the aasimari fellows continued to pound cobbles back towards the circus; one droning "Boooooogus...."<br/><br/><br/><br/>After surprise round and Aria's 5' step this round:<br/>(Feel free to adjust Rose if for example by 10' away you meant '2 squares away' rather than '2 empty squares between'  )<br/><br/>-- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -<br/>-HH - - - - - - - - - - - - - -<br/>-HH - - R R - - - - - - C<br/>- - - - - R R - - - - - - C<br/>-HH - - A - - - -<br/>-HH - - - - - - - -<br/>--- - - - - - - - -<br/><br/><br/>Aria initiative 17<br/>arsonists' group initiative 12<br/>(My current thinking on group initiative is (average of the mods) + d20, generalizing the DMG's suggestion for hordes with the same mod. With foes of radically varying 'importance' I might do most-important or a weighted average, so as not to overly encourage old wyrms to keep around a pixie cohort.)<br/><br/>Looks like you do get AoOs against both mount and rider when their movement provokes them, neat (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/rg/20050201a (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/rg/20050201a) - from 'Rules of the Game', a wizards.com series I find helpful; recently read the Initiative series...). Also, it seems riders occupy all of their mount's (usually greater number of) species, so if you're w/i reach of the mount you're in reach of the rider.<br/><br/>Aria:<br/>5' step forward again (started diagonally behind the Large Rose, now second 5' step to her left-forward side.)<br/>activate boots of speed (i.e. 1-round haste), full attack with throwing axe and shuriken<br/>She's not proficient with shuriken, but keeps a stash for impromptu volleys - as "ammunition" designation they're the only weapon I know that a non-Quick-Draw char can use for iterative ranged attacks w/o a bow or other 'launcher' already drawn (or using TWF except maybe with two repeating crossbows)<br/><br/>mainhand/offhand alternating; remaining axe, then shuriken<br/>alternate (near side) opponents unless both are staggered, then try to drop mount, then rider<br/>(would normally concentrate on dropping one first, but am trying to stagger several; but still focusing on 'near' side first because there's a range increment difference)<br/>base ranged +23; w/ +1 for haste, -2 for TWF, -2s for one range increment, also -4 with shuriken for nonproficiency, and of course iterative penalties for later attacks<br/>mods 20/16/16/16/11/11/6<br/>(unmodified 7 d20 rolls:)<br/>Result: 12, 8, 18, 3, 18, 2, 16,<br/>(technically I'm not supposed to know later rolls until after deciding/declaring each attack and target in sequence and such, but in this case it's pre-thought-out and saves E diceroller time. You can do full attacks however you like and don't need to specify a 'routine' or all the mods and rolls, the above comments are mostly to explain motivation of target choice, and what's going on in the mess of numbers below.)<br/><br/>(mh axe, near rider)<br/>atk 32 dmg 8 + 41 - 5 (witnesses damage reduction 5!)<br/>fails Fort, staggered<br/>(oh shuriken, near mount)<br/>atk 24 dmg 3 + 46, tot 106<br/>(mh shuriken, near mount)<br/>atk 34 dmg 3 + 44, KOed<br/>(oh shuriken, near rider)<br/>atk 19 miss<br/>(mh shuriken, near rider)<br/>atk 29 dmg 4 + 39 - 5, KOed<br/>(oh shuriken, far mount)<br/>atk 11 miss<br/>(oh shuriken, far rider)<br/>atk 20 dmg 2 + 42 - 5<br/>fails Fort; staggered<br/><br/>I always inferred haste gave an extra attack with each 'side' of TWFing (since the spell says an extra attack with any wielded weapon and not one wielded weapon) although for some reason it suddenly occurred to me I'm not certain (and the literal wording of the spell becomes rather odd with a series of throwing weapons) (also it might be ridiculously powerful with a true dragon and its 6 natural weapons). "Luckily" the extra non-iterative-penalized off hand attack missed in this case. Let me know if you have a though on it, and-or I'll try to dig up a clarification.