Action Thread 7

[Alethan]

(OOC: think we're waiting to see what Yosef wants to do, how Jeloon wants to use his mercs - and set up a marching order for the main party - and then a better idea of where the hobgoblins might be from those who were in camp and spotted them.)

[Argennian]

..."I propose a two-pronged attack where they think we only have a spear, if you take my meaning." Seeing some confusion on Rosin's face, Till explains, "We'll have the main group move out to the hobs where they were last seen heading. I'll do my best at being unseen and skirt the other side of the canyon and see if I have any chance of taking them by surprise." He looks at Yosef, then glances down at his armour, "If you lose the chainmail, Yosef, I think the two of us stand a good chance of surprising them."...

"Then we'd have a slightly better number advantage and the sight of four or five on our side (apparent better or even odds for them, depending on what Jeloon wants to do with his mercs) against their five might draw them into a fight more easily, allowing the two of us to get around behind them."

In case he hasn't already done so, Till hands Yosef back his magical bracers.

"Maybe you can fit into Ancor's leather armour? He isn't using it at the moment..."

Yosef accepts the bracers and puts them in his backpack, all the while considering Till's strategy, and nods approvingly. He begins to remove his chainmail armor and will see about using Ancor's leather armor, in order to accompany Till in the stealthy maneuver of circling around and coming at the hobgoblins from their rear flank.

"That sounds like a good plan, Till. A damn good plan as dear old Dravic used to say. Should I make ready with my bow as we move forward, Till, or keep the ogre spear? I still have both magic missile spells memorized and at the ready..."


OOC: Ron, can Yosef temporarily use Ancor's leather armor for the mission?

[Alethan]

"...Should I make ready with my bow as we move forward, Till, or keep the ogre spear? I still have both magic missile memorized and at the ready..."

Yes!

The magic missiles are guaranteed hits, and that's always nice to have. But if they hunker down and try to fight it out with ranged, it wouldn't hurt to at least have the bow with you.

If we close in, the additional to hit and damage of the magical weapon is always a plus...

(I can only engage with ranged at 35 feet with the sling, so if we attack any further out, then it will be just you, FYI. Well, I could try a further distance, but it would be with a -2 penalty, and I'm fine with that.)

[migellito]

As soon as she gets a go signal from Till, Jeloon will lead the main group in a charge at the hobgoblins' last position, with Eyman and Van on either side of her in the front rank.

[Argennian]

...(I can only engage with ranged at 35 feet with the sling, so if we attack any further out, then it will be just you, FYI. Well, I could try a further distance, but it would be with a -2 penalty, and I'm fine with that.)

Hmm... I don't have my OSRIC.pdf to access at work (I know, I know... ) but I do know in 1E that when outdoors (or indoors when a shot can be made without a ceiling impedement, if DM so allows...): ranged weapons operate in yards, not feet. IIRC, there's also a difference between the overall ranges (and damage) of sling stones and sling bullets (which travel further). Might be worth confirming (and I wish I could right now)!

Hoping I'm right here, Ethan. Apologies if I'm wrong!

[Alethan]

...(I can only engage with ranged at 35 feet with the sling, so if we attack any further out, then it will be just you, FYI. Well, I could try a further distance, but it would be with a -2 penalty, and I'm fine with that.)

Hmm... I don't have my OSRIC.pdf to access at work (I know, I know... ) but I do know in 1E that when outdoors (or indoors when a shot can be made without a ceiling impedement, if DM so allows...): ranged weapons operate in yards, not feet. IIRC, there's also a difference between the overall ranges (and damage) of sling stones and sling bullets (which travel further). Might be worth confirming (and I wish I could right now)!

Hoping I'm right here, Ethan. Apologies if I'm wrong!

No worries, Mitch! I looked it up before posting and, from what I can gather, the range stays in feet in OSRIC. It lists the range in "Ft" in the table and I can't find any mention of it converting to yards in outdoors in the section covering weapons. Also, when I looked up spell ranges, it states everything in "Ft" for ranges. Again, I couldn't find any reference to a Ft/Yard conversion for indoors/outdoors. I believe this is one of the simplifications OSRIC did.

Here is the whole paragraph on Missile Attacks under combat...

missile attacks: Missile attacks are attacks with a ranged weapon such as a crossbow, sling, or thrown axe. When using missiles to attack into a melee, it is not possible to choose which particular target will receive the attack; the target should be determined randomly from among all melee participants, and the missile-firer could well hit a friend. A character’s dexterity bonus for missile attacks is added to the “to hit” roll when the character is using missile weapons. If a character has a missile weapon in hand, his or her missile bonus is also added to his or her initiative roll, allowing the character to potentially attack first even if his or her party has lost the initiative roll.

Honestly, I quite like it. I thought the ambiguity of whether the range was an inch or a foot or a yard or 10 feet (or 10 yards?) was one of the biggest problems with 1E rules.

[Alethan]

So I think we're just waiting to find out which direction the hobgoblins headed so the main party can start that way while Till and Yosef try and circle around...

[rredmond]

Yosef can definitely borrow the leather armor. Do you want to use leather or the bracers - it doesn't seem to matter to AC or movement rate, but you wouldn't need to don the armor if you didn't want to.

I'm going to assume that Derek (especially considering his last post ) is along for the ride as well.

"They definitely headed north, and were closer to the middle of the pass," Van says, excited about some impending action.

Just fast forwarding a bit, but not too much that changes cannot be made. And I'm assuming Rosin, Ancor and the DAMs are left behind.

You easily catch up on the hobgoblins, there are 5 and they are heading nortward. They are going at a steady pace, but not rushing as fast as they were. They are hugging closer to the west side of the pass now, and you are far enough away that they don't see you... at this point. It's pretty easy for you to get into whatever positions you want at this point. And you have well established hand signs.

[Alethan]

OOC: That's right - the bracers only work when you're not wearing armour; forgot about that...

Till suggests the main group move to the west side, while continuing to make their way closer to the hobgoblins, as quietly as they can. Till and Yosef will split off and move north along the east side, moving even more quietly. As soon as the main group makes it to the west wall, they should make some noise to draw attention to themselves. Till and Yosef can try to circle around and cut off any retreat and/or position themselves for a flanking attack (ranged, if possible, even if they can't get within normal sling range).

Is it possible to see how they are armed from this distance?

[migellito]

Jeloon nods to Till and Yosef, and leads the main force quietly toward the western canyon wall. When we reach the wall, Jeloon whispers "one shot and charge." She then takes aim with her bow and fires at the furthest hobgoblin.
[1d20] = 5

How far away is he? That's only AC12, but I'm not sure about any bonuses like surprise or rear attack.

Regardless of whether it's a hit or a miss, she screams "death!!" drops her bow and charges, drawing her longsword and shield.

[Alethan]

!!

Can we assume this would have given Till and Yosef enough time to get within attack range, as well? If so, then...

To Hit, Sling [1d20+6] = 14+6 = 20
(this would not include the -2 penalty for not being within normal sling range, so it is probably an 18 To Hit and not a 20.)

Damage, Sling (Small/Medium) [1d4+1] = 4+1 = 5

Can't call shots when ranging into melee, so random target 1-5 (1 being the farthest north and 5 being the farthest south)...
Random Target [1d5] = 5

[Vokarius]

Derek will fire two shots with his shortbow when they are in range...

[1d20] = 15
and
[1d20] = 1

if the 15 hits, it does 6 damage [1d6] = 6

[ToniXX]

OOC: Good plan so far guys! Bruard will charge with his group, but I'm waiting for DM reply and then I'll post some action.

[Argennian]

As soon as the signal was given, or even if they were discovered, Yosef follows Till's leader, lifting his bow and letting fly with both his arrows in rapid succession.

Yosef's to hit with 1st arrow:
[1d20+2] = 15+2 = 17

http://www.unseenservant.com/Default.as ... ne&id=2622

1st arrow damage:
[1d6] = 3

http://www.unseenservant.com/Default.as ... ne&id=2623


Yosef's to hit with 2nd arrow:
[1d20+2] = 17+2 = 19

http://www.unseenservant.com/Default.as ... ne&id=2624

2nd arrow damage:
[1d6] = 2

http://www.unseenservant.com/Default.as ... ne&id=2625


(NOTE: These rolls do not include any penalties for distance or any % cover of hobgoblins (if applicable!). Also not sure if there would be a surprise roll needed but Yosef would have a +1 reaction bonus (and Till would have a +3 for that matter!). So we could suffice to say that perhaps the signal would be a swoosh-swoosh-swoosh from Till and a ka-twang, ka-twang from Yosef! )

OOC: damn good shots but meh on the damage!

OOC: Good plan so far guys! Bruard will charge with his group, but I'm waiting for DM reply and then I'll post some action.

I kind of thought the same thing too, Toni, in that Ron would have to roll to adjudicate if Till and Yosef were successful in their stealthy maneuver, what they could see/not see, etc. Was also thinking that a surprise roll would have to be made regardless. If we surprised them, it could stand that Till and Yosef (and Jeloon and Derek for that matter, after the signal of course), could potentially be able to get off more than one round of sling bullets and arrows. Even if they did notice us, with our reaction adjustment bonuses (especially Till's!), it's possible we could negate or partially negate a bad roll for our side. I guess we can assume that if the hobgobs noticed us, that would be a signal in itself, and that we (i.e. everyone with a prepared ranged missile weapon) would just stop and let fly regardless... (and I was SO excited at the prospect of getting an action-related PM, too! )

Yosef can definitely borrow the leather armor. Do you want to use leather or the bracers - it doesn't seem to matter to AC or movement rate, but you wouldn't need to don the armor if you didn't want to...

OOC: That's a good point about the bracers, Ron. Being totally truthful here, however, I had actually intended (just never stated though) to have Ancor wear them so that he would have the benefit of a better AC without being able to wear armor. Or at least I had assumed that since he was laid up and recovering that that meant he couldn't wear armor? Guess I'm making some assumptions without clarifications here... Just thought that Yosef could still sneak up with Till wearing non-metal armor and that it wouldn't impede his movement rate.

Ron, I had also actually intended to post that Yosef would have given the ogre spear over to Van for the mission, so that he could keep his bow to hand and use that without having to bother with dropping/picking it up. Yosef still has both his magic missile spells (as well as his mirror image spell for defense), as well as his longsword and hand axe if he needs to engage in melee. Once melee is committed to, Yosef will more than likely remain outside engagable weapon range of the baddies and lob both his magic missile spells into the fray.

[rredmond]

Day 12 – Day 13 - just after midday

Okay, hopefully we can regain some of the momentum that my absence killed! There is no chance of surprise on you guys, but you obviously catch the hobs unawares. Ancor has the bracers, Van has the ogre spear and gives one of his spears to Eyman.

You are quickly able to get into positions, the hobgoblins are obviously trying to get out of the pass. Each is carrying a javelin, with 5 more on their backs, and have scimitars at their hips. They are completely (they would have been surprised anyway, but on top of that the dice were really unkind) unaware of you gaining on them in separate groups. Once everyone is in range Till and Yosef are somewhat surprised by the battle cry of "death" as it wasn't the signal they were waiting for, but being ready they let loose their missiles as well. Van and Eyman on the other hand, laugh as they follow Jeloon in to battle, Eyman obviously growing into a different man than before this excursion.

Missile Round:
Van and Eyman throw (regular spears) - Eyman missing, but Van planting one in the upper back of an enemy, as if in slow motion the hobgoblin falls back never even getting a chance to see the spear that hit it.
Derek fires off an arrow, smiling as he sees it run straight through the neck of another hobgoblin, sending it to the ground. Mechanically he reaches for another arrow...

Yosef fires his first shot as Till slings a bullet into the hobgoblins. Yosefs arrow finds yet another hobgoblin target, injuring it. Till cracks yet another in the head. Yosef's last shot plugs yet another hobgoblin also hurting it.

Jeloon shrugs off the missed arrow, yells, and charges into battle. With Bruard right next to her, and Van and Eyman right behind. They all feel the misfired arrow from Derek, as it was shot too early and doesn't reach it's targets.

At this point the hobgoblins are confused and running around trying to get ready. Two are dead, all the rest are injured. Jeloon, Bruard, Eyman and Van are in full charge. Those rules apply, but as of this point you don't see any of the hobgoblins setting themselves against the charge. Missile fire is doable, but friendly fire mishaps are quite likely to happen at this point.

I'm thinking that the missile fire did it's job. But back to you all. Questions?


HPs: Jeloon - 29/29; Till - 33/36; Yosef - 8/10; Bruard - 18/19; Derek - 38/40
WIH: Till: sling; Jeloon: Longsword (20' radius light), shield; Derek: Bow; Yosef: bow; Van: Ogre spear, shield; Eyman: Battle Axe, shield; Bruard: Mace, shield
MO: 1- Jeloon & Bruard; 2 - Yosef & Derek; 3 - Till & Rosin
Consumables: Torch - out (Rosin) 30 minutes left, 40' radius; Lantern - out (Rosin) 3 hours, 30 minutes left, 30' radius.

[Alethan]

At this point the hobgoblins are confused and running around trying to get ready. Two are dead, all the rest are injured. Jeloon, Bruard, Eyman and Van are in full charge. Those rules apply, but as of this point you don't see any of the hobgoblins setting themselves against the charge. Missile fire is doable, but friendly fire mishaps are quite likely to happen at this point.

Surely, we shouldn't chance any accidental friendly fire hits...

Till tries to take advantage of the confusion. He tucks his sling into a belt pouch and draws his short sword as he circles around and tries to come at the hobgoblins from the north, effectively closing off their escape and maybe putting himself in a position to backstab an opponent (if they turn to face the main attack group and don't notice Till and Yosef). If they see him, then he'll launch himself into the general melee with aplomb.

('cause that's how Till rolls...)

[migellito]

If I remember right, round 1 is the 2 attack round for a 3/2 attack routine, so I'll roll 2 attacks, but I'll only put the charge bonus on the first.

Jeloon slams into a hobgoblin with her longsword!


[1d20] = 15+1magic+2charge=18
hits AC -2

[1d8] = 2+1magic+2spec=5pts of damage

2nd attack, same hobgoblin is he's still up.

[1d20] = 17+1magic=18
hits AC -2

[1d8] = 4+1magic+2spec=7pts of damage

[Alethan]

Will post Till's standard attack...

To Hit, Melee [1d20] = 3

(Pretty sure I don't need to roll damage for that...)

[Argennian]

As Till moves toward melee combat, Yosef quickly slings his bow and targets whichever of the hobgoblins looks least injured with his first magic missile spell. He will then close to a position that will allow him to be closer but not in the way of his companions as they engage in melee combat.

Yosef's 1st magic missile:
[2d4+2] = 2+2 = 4

http://www.unseenservant.com/Default.as ... ne&id=2634


OOC: Ron, not sure which one of the hobgobs that Yosef will target but it would likely be one that is not currently engaged in melee with one of our party. If they are all engaged (and since they're all wounded), I'll defer to your call on that!

[ToniXX]

Bruard swings his mace at the closest of the vile creatures:

To hit [1d20] = 1, damage with mace [1d6+1] = 6+1 = 7 (sm/m opponent)

DOH! I was going to say 'this doesn't include charge bonus, blah blah' but it doesn't matter!