DM: Though, wait. Before all of that happens, Celestia says:
Princess Celestia: Finally! I swear, that line gets longer every year.
Twilight Sparkle: Huh?!
Princess Celestia: Shall we head to the ballroom, Twilight? I'm sure you're bored stiff after all that.
Twilight Sparkle: Oh! Yes! Certainly! I bet it'll be very exciting soon! Ahaha... aha...!
DM: Now, as for you two:
Applejack: Got a 19 for raw Dex and a 21 for Pinkie's Athletics.
DM: Good enough! The big cake on top of the cart flies true, but before it hits Blueblood... he reacts on pure reflex, grabbing Rarity and using her as a pony shield. Not a speck lands on Blueblood. Rarity is covered horn to hoof.
Rainbow Dash: ...Wow. Thrown under the cake. That's, like, a metaphor or something.
Rarity: Gee, really? I never would have thought of that!
If you have the opportunity to watch that cake splatter frame by frame, I highly suggest you try it out. It's an impressive shot. Rarity's face makes for one heck of a deflective shield.
Notice: Guest comic submissions are open! Guidelines here. Deadline: February 20th.
Most hilarious human shield fail for my group was in d20 Modern--
Party battling a sorcerer and he has several humanoid were-bat creatures as meat shields. I go for a double tap, but declare I'm aiming below the belt on the werebat. Sensing danger to the "family jewels" the bat dodges.
My character is normally the group healer, but has a special ability that basically lets him transform (once a day) into a wall of meat. A truly massive amount of hit points and armor.
we were fighting a difficult position, with a bad guy throwing huge amounts of damage at us. I basically interposed myself between him and the rest of the party, soaking up the damage as needed.
Later: "Dude, how the HELL were you taking that much damage? You weren't reducing that I could tell, and you took over three hundred points of damage!"
"Closer to five hundred. And I am just that tough when transformed."
"Dang.."
"Fun fact: YOU NEVER BREACHED MY ARMOR."
"Buh.. what?"
"Yep. each time I ducked to the side it was to replenish it."
"... I think I need to lie down."
My Undead Oracle regularly uses shield Other on all the other party members to soak up pretty much all the damage that the party takes, which he then recovers due to lifesteal+ fast healing + negative energy AOE's
We just had one last week. Going through Tomb of Annihilation, and ran into a scouting party of what were, frankly, goblin ninjas. Their chieftain was a nibble little so-and-so, and every time we managed to connect he grabbed one of his minions and used him for a shield.
We got the last laugh. He finally ran out of meat shields and took a double swing at our storm cleric. Which prompted divine retaliation, which was further maximized by burning a Channel Divinity use. There wasn't much left except some of his mask.
I was in a Shadowrun 2020 tournament, playing "Million Nuyen Bounty", and I was playing a Detective. The plot was simple: Mr. Johnson is the sole witness that can clear our name and keep us alive.
The wrinkle: Megacorp put a 1,000,000 Nuyen bounty on his head. Not the rest of him, just his head.
At one point, we got tangled up with some random runners, and their troll pulls out a Streetsweeper Shotgun. He aims it right at Mr. Johnson, who has absolutely ZERO survival skills, whatsoever.
Me: "I throw myself between the troll and Mr. Johnson!"
GM: *blink-blink* "I'm sorry, what?"
Me: "I yank Mr. Johnson out of the way and take the shots for him. I've got an armored duster."
GM: *peers at me over his glasses* "I'm sorry, this is a Heckler & Koch Streetsweeper, so I really want to make sure this is what you want to do."
Me: *explains how Mr. Johnson is dead if he gets hit, and the party will also be dead too*
GM: *stares for a long moment* Okay? Roll your soak.
The troll got six successes on his hit roll. I got six on my soak. So I wasn't reduced to hamburger, but my sorry butt got tenderized reeeal good. Mr. Johnson was unscathed (and IMMENSELY grateful) and survived to testify on our behalf.
I got Third Place in the tournament and Best Roleplayer.
Nice save! Probably not the easiest way to 'use your head', but the fact you lived through it and got the Johnson to court to clear your name, that's worth street cred in my book.
I have a dirge bard in pathfinder that I just love
He's got the ensemble, charnel soldiers and loyal to the death feats
Charnel soldiers allows him to give the zombies he animates both of those other feats letting them act as backup dancers that jump in front of him to take attacks meant for him
He dresses in red leather and always dances his way into whatever room he enters
Rarity is a picture of calmness and serenity right now.
That begs the question what level is Blueblood if he has reaction higher than Rarity (24) quite possibly with a good modifier since she knew about distraction
They're not in combat, so events are a little more flexible.
And thus, the goal of the DAM begins to be become apparent to the players. Soon they'll realize that this was a massive arc long scheme to repair the damage to Rarity's playability AND give the party a major victory by taking down the head of the Thieves' Guild.
So... Taking bets on who replaces Blueblood as Elusive. The options I can see are:
Luna (Up late, available.)
Rarity (Obvious)
Sappire Shores: (Already a member, and in a position to have both deniability and mobility)
Celestia: (She's bored, and needs variety)
Sweetie Belle: (She's secretly devious and following in Rarity's footsteps!)
Flim and Flam, (Obvious mediocre con men is their cover)
Ditzy Doo: (Nobody. Suspects. The. Derp-Messenger.)
My places:
1) Ditzy Doo!!!
2) Celestia
3) Sweetie Belle/CMC (under supervision of course)
4) Rarity
5) Luna (she would be higher but to much responsibility for now... maybe in a few decades)
There's also the Star Wars SAGA mastermind class. You can actively use henchmen to take damage for you, as long as you still have them. And although Rarity is on the outs right now, she *was* still a henchpony of Elusive.
Like I said: Rarity is a picture of calmness and serenity right now. Because nothing says calmness and serenity like unabridged desire to murder somepony.
Blueblood, thy doom approaches, and she was made by thine own hand.
Thou hast created a great thief, cunning in both social graces and in the more subtle thieving arts.
You've brought her ire upon you, and now you reap what you have sown.
We'll wait, with popcorn, snacks, drinks, and cameras. Your fall shall be glorious and epic, told of in circles noble, common, and underground. You shall not have fame, but infamy, as the example of hubris, pride, and selfishness that all should aspire to never be.
I like how that pony in the background is peeking in the penultimate panel, only to have once again covered her eyes when she hears Rarity speak so as to try avoid drawing attention.