An Ambush Awry - Round 1

[Eclecticon]

Situation: Esgalwen and Tate's attempted ambush has gone disastrously, and combat is now joined in earnest. 

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

Situation Modifiers:
• The Toft-men have the initiative, as three quarters of the company have effectively been counter-ambushed

Physical Modifiers (complications):
• combat in the reeds and mud is hampered - all Parry scores are reduced by two against enemies outside the riverbank
 

PC/NPC		PARRY		ARMOUR		HOPE		END		STANCE
Esgalwen Tate Oderic Williferd		6 2 (shield +3) 5 4	• • • •	1d (helm n/a) 3d (helm n/a) 1d (helm n/a) 1d (helm n/a)	• • • •	5/12 13/15 2/3 n/a	• • • •	27/27 18/29 WEARY 5/18 16/16	• • • •	Open Defensive Forward Open

ENEMY		PARRY		ARMOUR		HATE		END		NOTES
Blood Moon archer Hunting Hound Hunting Hound Blood Moon warrior Blood Moon warrior Blood Moon archer Hunting Hound	• • • • • • •	3 4 4 4 4 3 4	• • • • • • •	2d 2d 2d 3d+1 3d+1 2d 2d	• • • • • • •	2/2 1/1 1/1 2/2 2/2 1/2 1/1	• • • • • • •	0/14 1/12 12/12 5/14 14/14 14/14 0/12	• • • • • • •	DEAD fighting Esgalwen fighting Esgalwen fighting Oderic fighting Oderic firing at Tate DEAD

STANCES

Forward - action order 1 Close combat TN 6+ parry Forward Stance maneuvers

Open - action order 2 Close combat TN 9+ parry Open Stance maneuvers

Defensive - action order 3 Close combat TN 12+ parry 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+ parry Rearward Stance maneuvers

From any Stance Escape combat Must start in Rearward or roll TN 10 + highest attribute level of opponents Athletics roll. On success, may safely flee from the scene of combat

[Eclecticon]

The muddy waters by the riverbank erupt in a series of violent splashes as two blood-moon warriors, spears in hand, descend to do battle and Oderic rushes to meet them, a bloodthirsty war cry erupting from his lips like an arrow from a bow long held drawn and abruptly let loose.  The hound, as if drawn by Tate's pained exhalation as the arrow struck him, bounds through the reeds towards him, just as its pack-mates, their jaws all a-slather, leap at Esgalwen on the nearby hilltop. 


I have a history of not setting the scene well enough for players to grok, so the basic tactical setup is as follows: Tate, Oderic, Williferd, two Toft-men and one hound are in the low marshes by the edge of the river.  A blood-moon archer is nearby on higher (and firmer) ground.  The slope is gentle, but it will still take anyone moving from the riverbank to the hillside a full round to get there.  Esgalwen is several hundred yards away, having moved off as fast as she could.  It'll take her three rounds to get back to her compatriots - two with a successful Athletics roll. 

With that out of the way, let's roll some dice! 

Riverbank
Blood moon warrior

1d12 : 2, total 2
Rolled 2d6+3 : 2, 4 + 3, total 9

Blood moon warrior

1d12 : 12, total 12
Rolled 2d6+3 : 6, 5 + 3, total 14

Blood moon archer

1d12 : 1, total 1
Rolled 2d6+3 : 4, 3 + 3, total 10

Hunting hound

1d12 : 10, total 10
Rolled 2d6+3 : 4, 2 + 3, total 9

Oderic

1d12 : 2, total 2
Rolled 4d6+4 : 4, 2, 4, 3 + 4, total 17

Hillside
Hunting hound

1d12 : 8, total 8
Rolled 2d6+3 : 1, 1 + 3, total 5

Hunting hound

1d12 : 4, total 4
Rolled 2d6+3 : 4, 6 + 3, total 13

[Eclecticon]

Oderic and the Toft-men exchange bloody blows, the young outlaw taking spears to his chest and thigh but seeming in his fury neither to notice nor to care.  Instead he swings his sword with a fell strength, drawing a deep cut across the chest of one of his foes.  Tate raises his shield in time to feel the impact of another arrow upon it, but this momentary distraction is all that the hound needs to sink its teeth into his calf and tear back and forth, worrying at the wound. 

Upon the hillside, the two dogs work together, one darting in ahead of her while the second circles behind.  The Dúnadan feels the breath of a hound as its jaws clamp shut on thin air, her skill and speed barely sufficient to avoid injury. 


Rules-wise, both Toft-Men hit with their attacks on Oderic, one with a great success.  The archer misses, but the hound gets a piercing blow (TN 14) on Tate.   

Protection test for Tate:
This dice roll has been tampered with!
1d12 : 5, total 5
Rolled 3d6 : 5, 6, 6, total 17

[tomcat]

Hey Paul, the hound actually misses. You have Esgalwen's Parry at 6, but when she is in close combat it increases by +3 to 9 due to her Skirmisher virtue. So in Open stance, the hound needs a 18 to hit her.

Cool?

Esgalwen will attack the first Hunting Hound in the header thread's order:

TN 13 long sword 4d

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

11   edge: 8   injury: 18

[tomcat]

The dogs were large but agile and their slathering jaws attempted to clamp into her legs and pull her down, but Esgalwen was familiar with such a foe. Too many times had she faced the wolves of Mirkwood, and so quick was her legs in shifting and moving to keep them at bay.

Her sword made a circular sweep, starting high and then down and up - its blade slicing deeply into a hound's flank. The animal yelped and staggered, but it was not finished. Esgalwen shifted her stance to ready for the other dog's attack, though she did not allow the wounded one to leave her sight.

[tomcat]

Tate felt the strong jaws of his own attacker clamp into his waist, just above the hip. The teeth were sharp and pulled at him, but could not penetrate the mail shirt under his tunic.

The bard, now prepared for combat, swung his sword down in a vicious stroke.
Tate attacks the hound that is attacking him

TN 16 long sword 4d

1d12 : 10, total 10
Rolled 4d6 : 2, 2, 2, 6, total 12

5   edge: 10  injury: 16

[tomcat]

Nice!

• Esgalwen delivers 11 loss

• Tate delivers a piercing great success; he does 10 loss and the animal must make a TN 16 Protection test

QUESTION: Do we know why Tate's character sheet has him at 19 Fatigue and 16 Fatigue from travel? Is it just an error in which cell was modified, or is it a typo on Ayrn's part?

[Eclecticon]

Hey Paul, the hound actually misses. You have Esgalwen's Parry at 6, but when she is in close combat it increases by +3 to 9 due to her Skirmisher virtue. So in Open stance, the hound needs a 18 to hit her.

Cool?

Esgalwen will attack the first Hunting Hound in the header thread's order:

You are indeed right, sir.  My apologies.  The narration is edited and I pour ashes over my head in shame. 

As for Tate's sheet, I think it's reasonable to assume that it's my cock-up.  It's fixed now, as is Esgalwen's. 

EDIT: Protection test for the hound:

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

[Eclecticon]

Tate's sword slips between the bones of the beast's spine, and its back half drops uselessly into the mud.  Its eyes roll piteously back into its head as its jaws go limp and the front half drops half a second later.