Spiders, spiders, everywhere - round 5

[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):
• none

Tactical Situation
• Arbogast - has one healthy spiders attacking him (1 has been slain)
• Bandy - has NO spider attacking him (2 have been slain)
• Esgalwen - has NO spiders attacking her (2 have been slain)
• Idunn - has NO spiders attacking her (2 have been slain)
• Grimbeon - has NO spider attacking him (2 have been slain)
• Rorin - has NO spiders attacking him (2 have been slain)
• East Bight Men - are currently facing 15 spiders

Mass Combat Status:
• 5 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 [WOUNDED] 13/25 [WOUNDED, WEARY] 25/31 25/25 34/34
Spiders	4 for all	2d for all	2 for all	12 for all
Great Spider	5	3d	3	9/36

spider 12 (A) 0/12; great spider 9/36

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

Rolled 1d12 : 8, total 8

[tomcat]

Ceawin's rally seemed to have the desired effect, as the men of Sunstead begin to deal death to the spiders. There were now five spiders dead within the ring of warriors, as well as those slain by the companions. Esgalwen watched as Grimbeorn fended off his own attacker, but then threw himself into the beast attacking her taking the monster's sting in his leg. She could not bare to watch her friend harmed again to protect her and thought that she should move back into a defensive position. But no, Esgalwen had been trained in the ways of a skirmisher and her place was on the line - she knew she only needed one more well-placed stab...
Esgalwen attacks her spider...hopefully for the last attack
TN 10 longsword 3d, skirmisher 1d

1d12 : 3, total 3
Rolled 4d6 : 2, 5, 4, 2, total 13

7   edge: 9   injury: 18

[tomcat]

The Ranger stabbed with her sword, which pierced the spider's head just below the mound of eyes. It thrashed and nearly pulled the weapon from Esgalwen's hands, but she leveraged her body against it, twisted, and with a great crunch the creature fell to the ground dead.

[disench4nted]

Rorin finally freed himself from the web that had impeded him just in time to see one of the remaining spiders charge Bandy and knock the small Hobbit off his feet. The vile creature used it's significant mass to crush Bandy into the ground, and Bandy was using his hands and arms to keep it's mandibles away from his neck.

Rorin felt a flame of rage ignite in his chest as he envisioned the spider's imminent demise.

"RISE BANDOBRAS OF THE SHIRE! MIRKWOOD'S DARKNESS HOLDS NO SWAY THIS DAY!"

The dwarf threw all caution to the wind and charged headlong into Bandy's attacker with murder in his eyes and a fearsome battlecry on his lips.

 

Rorin switches to an Forward stance and uses the All Out Attack maneuver, adding an extra die to his attack but losing his parry rating for the round.

TN 10 War Hammer - All out Attack

Rolled 1d12 : 9, total 9
Rolled 5d6 : 1, 6, 5, 1, 1, total 14

[Eclecticon]

Arbogast can see only snatches of his comrades' struggles between the shadowy trees, but none have responded to his call about the mother spider (for such it can only be), and that bodes ill for them.  Hoping to raise their flagging spirits, he shoves the smaller spider back with his shield, and raises both axe and voice. 

"Let the bright-kindled fire of the Free Folk
Burst forth from the coals of your marrow!
Let courage give strength to your sword-arms!
Let honour give flight to your arrows!
We must yet deliver our burden
And quiet the ghosts of the barrows.
Foul fare we must be for the spiders
Who skulk in the dark of the Narrows!"



Doggerel, I know, but I'm at work and time is scarce.  I'm shifting into Open stance and attempting to Rally anyone who can hear me. 
DC 14 Song 2

1d12 : 11, total 11
Rolled 2d6 : 4, 3, total 7

[Eclecticon]

Looks like mentioning ghosts and spiders was the wrong way to go about it. 

[Telcontar]

  doug, does bandy know about the giant stromboli spider?

[tomcat]

Paul - the dice just never seem to fall right for Arbogast.

Tom - yes, Arbogast has spent the last two rounds announcing the spider's presence.

[Posterboy]

  Is Idunn able to actually attack the mother spider, or is she out of range of melee weapons?

[Eclecticon]

Greatspears are, by definition, long.  She'll be within poking range, I'm sure. 

[tomcat]

yes, any PC who is free of critters could move to engage a her or any spider attacking the Sunstead men.

[tomcat]

Around Ceawin, his men were now ringed and their shields and spears had formed a proper defense. The men called out angry challenges as they bit deep with their weapons, but in the mingle of shouts were the cries of the wounded and scared. The spiders moved at an astounding rate, racing between trees and the low clinging foliage that blanked the forest floor. They attacked quickly only to draw back and attack again in another place. The creatures were sure-footed, where the men would trip at times on roots or broken branches. The combat stirred up other life within the forest - birds fluttered to flight out of their hiding spaces; rabbits and rodents ran from cover to cover. At times, the distractions aided the men when a spider would suddenly attempt to bite or sting one of the small scurrying animals, but at other times the startled animal would throw a man off his guard. The hunters would take advantage of such moments and leap into the ring.

What was worse, the flies seemed to be stirred up to a fevered-pitch and a cloud settled over the battle. They swarmed over the dead spiders, sucking the blood from the wounds, but they also annoyed the defenders. Esgalwen, now unlimbered of any threats, fell against a tree and reached to her wound. It was a puncture in her lower abdomen, but she was sure that the spider had not had a chance to poison her...at least, she hoped she was sure. Black flies landed on her hand that covered her wound, even as the blood seeped through her fingers. The terrible vermin bit at her and she slapped at them, causing herself more pain. Esgalwen looked to the weapon in her other hand that had slain the creatures. Its edge was keen and a pale gleam came from it even in the murk of the wood, and even though it was smeared with ichor. "Nimronyn," she whispered in Sindarin. "Pale gleam...that is what I shall call you."

Arbogast's call to fight rose clearly in the din. She shook her head and hoisted her sword. She was a Dúnadan and a Ranger of Ithilien - she would not let her friends face this challenge alone.

Bandy felt a tremendous weight fall on him, even as he heard the mighty crunch of Rorin's hammer. The Hobbit choked at the fetid smell that came from the spider's belly. It was like the thing had laid its mass on piles of the dead and the reek had permeated its whole being, which would be no surprise. The creatures sat in webs tangled with their prey. Then the gore came from the terrible wound that the Dwarf had achieved - it, too, smelled awful and Bandy began to panic. He could die under the dead creature from no air to breathe, as much as from its weight.

Suddenly there was relief as Rorin hoisted the dead monster up and off of the Hobbit. The Dwarf had a large grin across his face, but it quickly faded when he saw his small friend's predicament. Bandy, too, had been stabbed by a spider sting and was pale in the face. Rorin quickly scooped him up and moved him away a short distance from the dead spider.

Not far away, the two heard Arbogast chant his call to arms.

[Telcontar]

The mighty hammer of Rorin smote the spider that had overthrown the Hobbit. The wreck of the beast collapsed on top, of the Hobbit and the mass of it choked the small figure pinned under it. Darkness wrapped the Hobbit and the combat around him was lost. Then a sliver of light appeared and the boots of the dwarf framed the light. The light grew and the Hobbit rolled to the side, hand gripped on the bow. The stout halfling rolled to the side to get out from the legs of the beast and grabbing his bow attempted to rise. He moved much slower in action than the Hoobit envisioned in his mind and when he stood the dwarf saw the blood flowing freely from his companion. Admist the many scratches and bruises the dwarf clearly saw that Bandy had taken a wound at the hands of the spiders.
"In your debt Rorin, the fellowship of the helm is beset on all sides and our deeds not yet done."
Bandy reached to his quiver and for the moment forgot his sword that lay somewhere in or under the spider. He bent the bow heedless of his wounds and took aim at the great beast that seemed to be the chief of their foes.
In his head the Hobbit gave a cry for the shire, but the dwarf only heard a weeze and a muffled grunt.
Rolled 1d12 : 12, total 12
Rolled 1d12 : 4, total 4

Rolled 4d6 : 6, 4, 3, 2 total 15

[Telcontar]

Oh and take that  and  Spider!