Spiders, spiders, everywhere - round 4

[tomcat]

Situation: The caravan of Ceawin of Sunstead has been attacked by an unknown number of giant spiders of Mirkwood...

SPIDERS

Combat Advantage dice:
Rorin 2

Situation Modifiers:
• Company has initiative [even though ambushed, more than half passed their Surprise tests -   for those that earned AP]

Physical Modifiers (complications):
• Idunn is ensnared, must make an Athletics TN 13 or be held in place and suffer Parry to be halved

Tactical Situation
• Arbogast - has one healthy spiders attacking him (1 has been slain)
• Bandy - has one spider attacking him 10/12 (1 has been slain)
• Esgalwen - has one spider attacking her 7/12 (1 has been slain)
• Idunn - has NO spiders attacking her (2 have been slain)
• Grimbeon - has one spider attacking him with 7/12 damage (1 has been slain)
• Rorin - has NO spiders attacking him (2 have been slain)
• East Bight Men - are currently facing 17 spiders

Mass Combat Status:
• 3 spiders dead

PC/NPC	PARRY	ARMOUR	HOPE [HATE]	ENDURANCE
Arbogast Bandy Esgalwen Grimbeorn Idunn Rorin	6/9 [woodcrafty] (shield +3) 9 (shield n/a) 6/9 [skirmisher] (shield n/a) 6/9 [great strength] (shield +4) 6/9 [woodcrafty] 4 (shield n/a)	1d (headgear +1) 1d (headgear n/a) 1d (headgear n/a) none (headgear +1) 2d (headgear n/a) 5d (headgear n/a)	12/16 16/18 10/11 8/12 15/15 8/10	26/26 13/22 13/25 [WOUNDED, WEARY] 25/31 25/25 34/34
Spiders	4 for all	2d for all	2 for all	12 for all

spider1 (G) dead; spider2 (E) dead; spider3 (A) dead; spider4 (R) dead; spider5 (I) dead; spider6 (B) dead; spider7 (I) dead; spider8 (G) 7/12; spider9 (R) dead; spider10 (B) 10/12, spider11 (E) 7/12

STANCE	TN (+parry)	PC / LMC	Options...
Forward - action order 1 Close combat	TN 6+	Esgalwen	Forward Stance maneuvers
Open - action order 2 Close combat	TN 9+	Idunn, Bandy	Open Stance maneuvers
Defensive - action order 3 Close combat	TN 12+	Rorin, Grimbeorn. Arbogast	Defensive Stance maneuvers
Rearward - action order 4 Ranged combat Must be 2 other PC's in Close Combat May not use if outnumbered 2:1	TN 12+	none	Rearward Stance maneuvers
Any Escape combat Must start in Rearward or roll TN 10 + highest attribute level of opponents		none	May safely flee from the scene of combat

MASS COMBAT
	One of the East Bight-men is slain. If rolled again in the following round, Ceawin is gravely wounded.
1, 2	The allies are hard-pressed to hold the enemy back. One of the East Bight-men is wounded – or, if any are already wounded, then one of them is slain. The defensive circle is being pressed - if this is rolled again, the spiders also slay a horse.
3	The East Bight-men hold their line and keep fighting.
4, 5	The allies fight bravely, pushing the enemy back. Black spider blood spills across the forest floor. If this result is rolled twice in a row, then the allies slay one of the spiders!
6, 7	One of the spiders is slain.
8, 9	Two of the spiders are slain.
10	Three of the spiders are slain.
	Four of the spiders are slain.

[tomcat]

MASS COMBAT ROLL

Here goes...

Rolled 1d12 : 3, total 3

[tomcat]

Looks like you guys might have some more work to do!  

I modified the combat table again to move things along - 8 out of 12 numbers now yield a positive result. Hopefully I can roll ONE of them next round!

[GandalfOfBorg]

Grimbeorn smiles as his gambit worked as Esgalwen is able cut herself free, but she looks weary and pained.  He understands once he sees the poisoned wound in her side.  "We must stand together! Protect the weak and injured!"

  Grimbeorn continues protecting Esgalwen and strikes at a nearby spider.

Rolled 1d12 : 1, total 1
Rolled 4d6 : 1, 2, 1, 2, total 6

Axe - 7/10/18

[Telcontar]

The Hobbit felt a fang of the spider pierce him and draw a wound that oozed blood. He sparred it a thought and hoped that it was too slight to have poisoned himself. In the short term it didnt matter. The Halfling needed this spider dead, and again he stabbed with the ancient blade of Mountain Hall.

Rolled 1d12 : 8, total 8

Rolled 2d6 : 4, 2, total 6

[Telcontar]

The blade of the halfling scored another hit upon the spider, but the strength of the blow was still not great enough to drive the beast away.

OOC: 5 more end.

[Eclecticon]

While the company desperately fight off the spiders, Arbogast frees his axe from the body of the beast before him.  Its death has allowed a brief pause in his own struggle, and the Woodman takes full advantage of it.  Keeping his shield raised between his body and the remaining spider, he calms himself enough to follow the signs of the forest.  Though he has never before seen this part of the Narrows, it is nonetheless not entirely unfamiliar.  He listens, watches, smells, hoping to find signs of somewhere the company might make a stronger stand. 


So, as flagged before, I'm going to use Arbogast's Natural Watchfulness ability (pp 112-13).  I'm looking for anything nearby that will even the odds a little. 

DC 14 Explore 3

1d12 : 4, total 4
Rolled 3d6 : 6, 3, 1, total 10

[Eclecticon]

Looks like you guys might have some more work to do! 

I modified the combat table again to move things along - 8 out of 12 numbers now yield a positive result. Hopefully I can roll ONE of them next round!

I think it makes sense for us to do most of the heavy lifting.  Caewin's party will all be armed, but not many of them will be packing four-dice weapon skills.  The trained fighters will have their hands full protecting the ones that aren't (note that none of them have been wounded since the initial ambush - in a sense, they're doing better than we are!). 

That said, it would definitely help to be able to establish a shieldwall and a rear area - somewhere for the wounded to be safe and for Bandy to do what he does best! 

EDIT: While I'm talking OOC, I'll also point out that I'll spend the round in Defensive stance.  If you need a justification for him being able to be naturally watchful in the middle of a fight, Arbogast is cunning - coming up with ideas on the spur of the moment is kind of his thing. 

[Telcontar]

  the actual positionsof people in combat is somewhat abstract so narratively Caewins people may be in a shield wall. My understanding of why Bandy cant shoot is because of the leaping ability of the spiders and that the two closed the distance to struggle with him. I imagine once the one in front of me is dead I can go back to the bow.
This may be the most challenging fight we have had so far for the group as a whole so I am liking it.

[Eclecticon]

I don't have a problem with the abstract nature of the combat - I'm just trying to add a little extra drama ('cause, y'know, we were short on that).  I agree that this is the most challenging fight we've had in a while.  Large numbers of enemies, rather than a single large one, seems to be the way to go there. 

[tomcat]

the actual positionsof people in combat is somewhat abstract so narratively Caewins people may be in a shield wall. My understanding of why Bandy cant shoot is because of the leaping ability of the spiders and that the two closed the distance to struggle with him. I imagine once the one in front of me is dead I can go back to the bow.

This may be the most challenging fight we have had so far for the group as a whole so I am liking it.

I will give more narrative as to what the LM characters are up to in battle - sorry guys. I sometimes get lost in mapping out the mechanics of what happened in a round.

And yes, Tom - that is the exact reason you lost your Rearward stance - spiders are able to make those leaps and screw archers up.

I don't have a problem with the abstract nature of the combat - I'm just trying to add a little extra drama ('cause, y'know, we were short on that).  I agree that this is the most challenging fight we've had in a while.  Large numbers of enemies, rather than a single large one, seems to be the way to go there.  

Is this sarcasm? I don't want anyone finding the game weak of drama or excitement, so let me know if the story is coming off flat. Thanks!

Would you guys like me to provide maps of the combat scenes with PC positions and how they pertain to their stances?

[tomcat]

I will get a post up in a bit.

[disench4nted]

Having slain the two spiders who tried to attack him, Rorin strained to free himself from the web that ensnared him. Seeing Bandy struggling with one of the creatures, he ran to the hobbit's side to protect him.

TN 13 Athletics

Rolled 1d12 : 5, total 5
Rolled 1d6 : 1, total 1

Am I still allowed to make an attack this turn after the Athletics check?

[disench4nted]

 
I'll spend one point of Hope (Favored Body = +8) to pass the test.

[tomcat]

Hey Steve, no - you must sacrifice your attack in the round to free yourself.

Rorin Hope