Spider Siege! - round 7

[tomcat]

Situation: Holed up in the Millfort, the company plans to deal a wicked sting to the Spiders of Mirkwood!

Attercops
Hunters
Tauler

Combat Advantage dice:
• Esgalwen 0 / 2
• Rorin 0 / 2


Situation Modifiers:
• The Company has initiative
• The hatch is covered with webs - TN 10 to hit and 5/5 END to clear
• Front door is at 31/60
• Back door is at 31/60

Physical Modifiers (complications):
The Millfort is impregnable save for five locations.

A) Each door has been successfully repaired and has 60 END points each (FRONT 60/60; BACK 55/60). No spiders can get in them until they reduce the doors to 0 END and then roll a Piercing attack that overcomes a 3d armor rating.

B) Each window is a vantage point that allows an attack out (and in). Ranged weapons may be fired out and the defending archer gains the Rearward DEFENSE, but may use the Open ATTACK TN. Overwhelming numbers of enemies do not affect ranged combat while the defenses hold. Melee weapons may be used to attack out (and in) but the defenders gain the Defensive DEFENSE TN rating, but may use the Forward ATTACK TN. Attackers from the outside may return a melee attack through a window, but may NOT enter the fort.

C) The hatch has been successfully repaired and has 40 END points. No spiders can get through it until they reduce the hatch to 0 END and then roll a Piercing attack that overcomes a 2d armor rating.

D) The floor has been successfully repaired and has 20 END points. No spiders can get through it until they reduce the floor to 0 END and then roll a Piercing attack that overcomes a 1d armor rating.

E) The stone roof of the fort is compromised - there is a large hole here. The second floor offers little defense and any PC that decides to fight on the second floor will not be eligible for vantage defenses once spiders come through the hole in the roof. Ranged combat WILL be affected by overwhelming numbers, if the archer positions themselves here, instead of on the first floor.

IF the first floor defenses are compromised, vantage benefits are lost as the spiders enter the room. There will be NO opening volleys, as the things coming in the night are invisible in the trees.

PC/NPC	PARRY	ARMOUR	HOPE	ENDURANCE
Arbogast Bandy Esgalwen Grimbeorn Rorin Bofri	6 (shield +3) 9 (shield n/a) 6/9 [skirmisher] (shield n/a) 6/9 [giant strength] (shield +4) 4 (shield n/a) 4 (shield +2)	2d (headgear +1) 1d (headgear n/a) 1d (headgear n/a) none (headgear +1) 5d (headgear n/a) 3d (headgear n/a)	11/16 16/18 10/12 9/12 7/10 n/a	4/26 [Weary - 1,2,3 on success dice are considered a 0] 16/22 27/27 3/31 18/34 0/21 [Unconscious]

COMBAT STATUS by PC

PC	ENEMY	PARRY	ARMOUR	END	HATE	NOTES
Bandy	Hunter 4	6	3d	25/25	2/3	• on first floor, spiders must match stance
Esgalwen	Hunter 3	6	3d	25/25	3/3	• on stairs of first floor, spiders must match stance
Arbogast	Hunter 6 Attercop 16	6 4	3d 2d	25/25 8/12	3/3 2/2	• on stairs of first floor, spiders must match stance
Rorin	Hunter 1	6	3d	2/25	2/3	• on stairs of first floor, spiders must match stance
Bofri	Hunter 5	6	3d	25/25	2/3	• on first floor, spiders must match stance
Grimbeorn	Tauler	8	3d	41/60	5/8	• in melee on second floor with Tauler coming through roof, spider matches PC stance

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+	Grimbeorn, Rorin	Open Stance maneuvers
Defensive - action order 3 Close combat	TN 12+	Arbogast, Bofri	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+	Bandy	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

[Eclecticon]

Arbogast's strike fells another attercop, but the effort leaves him open to a vicious retaliatory bite.  He sees now that there is no hope of felling their foes before he himself is brought down.  But just as he begins to despair, he hears the cries of Esgalwen and Rorin below, clearing the webs away as fast as they can be laid.  Bloodied and beleaguered by the sipders' incessant gnashing, and trusting to the sturdiness of his uncle's shield, he backs towards the open trapdoor. 


Athletics roll to escape from combat:

1d12 : 8, total 8
Rolled 2d6 : 3, 4, total 7

[Eclecticon]

That's nowhere near the target number, given his Weariness.  He also needed a great or extraordinary success, given that he's facing multiple attackers.  So I'm guessing that the spiders are keeping close and following him down the stairs. 

EDIT: I'm also shifting back to Defensive stance.  This 'being hit' nonsense is for shit. 

[Telcontar]

  MISTAKES WERE MADE!

[tomcat]

Seeing her friends being hampered by the number of spiders, Esgalwen stepped forward with Nimronyn at the ready and drew herself up to her full height. She was a Dúnadan - the Blood of  Númenór - and fell things cowed before that folk. It was the mighty hands of Men of Westernesse that brought the Dark Lord down, not once, but twice. She would not see her friends fall here...not this night.

She stood within the opening of the second floor, her sword pointed at Tauler. In her most resounding tone, she called to the thing, "Back monsters of He who is now Nameless! He who was cast out while the world was still young! The Blood of Kings is before you and you shall not pass!"

Esgalwen left room for her two companions to move through the hatch - as long as the spiders were daunted by her wrath.
Esgalwen moves to a Forward Stance and Intimidates - she will apply a Hope point if necessary
TN 18 Battle 2d

2d12 : 7, 7, total 14
Rolled 2d6 : 1, 4, total 5

I want to apply her Noble Lineage trait, too, with the roll. If you guys do not think it should apply, I will rescind the benefit and we will call the first Feat Die roll as the standing roll - otherwise, it is best of two.

Here goes nothing...

[tomcat]

Even with a Hope point - she will fail. 

She does not intimidate the Spiders and thus they will push through the floor hatch in pursuit of you all.

[GandalfOfBorg]

The fell creature bites back at Grimbeorn as good as he gave it but he much the worse for wear.  Seeing Esgalwen at his side, he regains his courage and falls into a more defensive posture and gives another daunting blowing to the large spider.

Grimbeorn moves to Defensive stance.
  This dice roll has been tampered with!
Axes Tauler -  1d12 : 12, total 12
Rolled 4d6 : 6, 1, 1, 5, total 13

[GandalfOfBorg]

  Doug, we posted at the same time and so I had to resubmit.

[tomcat]

A  !!! WOOT!

Nice roll, Matt!

• Grimbeorn has a 25 great success, piercing blow against Tauler for 13 END loss

• Tauler will spend a Hate point to reduce the END loss by 7 and will now roll a protection test
TN 18 armour 3d

1d12 : 5, total 5
Rolled 3d6+7 : 1, 3, 6 + 7, total 17

[tomcat]

  For your Hope point last round 

Took away the Daunted penalty

[GandalfOfBorg]

  Great, thanks.

[tomcat]

Grimbeorn's axe smashed into Tauler, but the monster's carapace was too thick. Though it was a good blow, the spider's toughness was great - and now Grimbeorn was at a disadvantage, for he alone stood within the upper chamber.

Esgalwen was near, having put herself in harm's way to aid her companions, but the Beorning was too far from the hatch to gain its benefits.


• Bofri is downstairs poised to attack anything that comes in the new defense, but is not close enough to engage anything on the stairs.

• Bandy sees no more targets at the vantage windows, but may now shoot at the spiders entering the first floor chamber.

• Rorin is on the stairs, but may only attack the spiders entering the lower chamber.

• Arbogast comes through the hatch, but the spiders are on his tail. Five of the hunter spiders are now in the lower level!

I am going to allow Rorin an attack on a Hunter spider, and Bandy, too, but other than that I think the PC's have done all they can this round.

I am not sure when Steve is back from vacation, so I will roll Rorin's attack in a short bit.

[Telcontar]

Bandy looked up the stairwell now to see his friends struggling at the hatch. He felt a great weight of responsability for them and all he said to get them to fight here.

He drew another arrow, took careful aim and fired.

Rolled 1d12 : 1, total 1

or

Rolled 1d12 : 11, total 11

Rolled 4d6 : 2, 5, 2, 4, total 13

[tomcat]

The companions ducked as Bandy's wild shot clattered against the stonework of the Millfort. The spiders were now in the lower chamber, scurrying across the roof and onto the walls.

Rorin, seeing one move past Esgalwen, brought his hammer up to slam the creature against the wall.
Rorin attacks
TN 15 hammer 4d

1d12 : 10, total 10
Rolled 4d6 : 6, 3, 4, 1, total 14

10   edge: 9   injury: 18

[tomcat]

Results

• Bandy's bow shot misses

• Rorin hits with a 24 Great Success, piercing attack on Hunter 1 for 16 END loss and spider must make a protection test
TN 18 armour 3d

1d12 : 8, total 8
Rolled 3d6 : 6, 5, 2, total 13