(079) What a Gnome Knows

[waysoftheearth]

For your enjoyment...

Details of Random Encounter Determination :

A. Monster Level Table Determination throw: 1d6=2, so it's MLT=1.

B. (Dungeon specific) Monster Level Table 1 throw: 1d12=9, so it's Seers. This could get interesting...

C.1. Number Occurring. Seers are a "player-type" monster; this is dungeon level 1; there are 12 players (excluding one NPC). 12 players will attract four times "the basic number" of monsters, which--in the case of "player-type" monsters--I deem to be 1. 4 x 1=4, thus indicating 4 Seers. However, I prefer a bit of randomness so 4 becomes 2-6 (by my scheme 1 gets 1, 2 gets 1-3, 3 gets 2-4, 4 gets 2-6, and so on). However, DD says that player-types are accompanied by 2-12 guards, and this fits well with the "master and minion" organization one might expect to see with M-Us.

C.2. 2d3=2, so just the two Seers (!); 2d6=8 so they are accompanied by 8 guards; which are (1=goblins, 2=hobgoblins, 3=skeletons, 4=mercenaries, 5=cavemen, 6=animals) 1d6=3, so it's sk-sk-skeletons! M-Us and skeletons; that... works. ish.

D. From whence do they come? Ignoring the possibility of bursting thru walls, there are four plausible directions this wandering inconvenience could emerge from; 1. the unexplored, dark passage (behind the players), 2. the main passage from the bunks room (mid-rear of the marching order), 3. From the servery door (between the two player "fronts"), 4=directly to the front of Zax. The encounter make up and the map make options 1, 3, and 4 seem most plausible, in that order. The ref dices; 1d6=1, so they cometh (somewhat appropriately?) from the dark passage.

E. Surprise. Are the players (at the rear) surprised? 1d6=2, so no (that was luckeeeeee). Are the monsters surprised? 1d6=1, so no.

F. Encounter distance can be 30--80ft underground (OD&D says 20-80ft, but DD5 says 30-80ft). The ref dices 1d6=1, so the encounter begins at a mere 30ft distance! The ref presumes this is due to the curve of the passage preventing better visibility out further...

This is shaping up to be an interesting one. Let see, shall we?

[waysoftheearth]

At the rear of the column, Dopey the Hobbet is struggling to keep pace with the longer stride of Karl, the bow-armed fighting man, and the other long-legged types ahead of him.

The keen-eared Hobbet is sure he hears an unnatural rasping as he passes by the dark passage mouth at a trot, and is briefly thankful the Gnome stuck to the main route. But even as he brushes by the creeping dark his spine tingles as the rasp becomes a dreadful cemetery moan. Dopey almost shrieks as, reflexively looking over his shoulder, he glimpses a ghastly throng of skeletal corpses lurching out of the darkness. Their rotted eye sockets glow a malevolent red and their unnaturally long, bony arms grasp after him. They are scarcely 30ft behind, and with Karl and the others occupying the way ahead, there's hardly anywhere to go even if he could run any faster!

At this point the game descends to combat time.

Remember the order of battle during each combat turn will be: Movement, missile/magic, then combat (up to three rounds). See here for the full detail.

What are your orders for the first combat turn?

[coffee]

Assuming Dopey informs Karl of the threat from behind, he'll respond. (He'd be checking behind himself every so often anyway, but might not catch it.)

Assuming this is the case, he'd fire one arrow at the lead rotting corpse, then drop his bow and draw his sword, preparing for melee. Also he'd call out "From behind!" as he waded into battle.

(And if not, he'll be struck down unawares from behind.)

[mgtremaine]

like it!, Maybe they had found a scroll of Animate Dead and now have their hellish guards..Um sleep spell and we are in major trouble

[The Red Baron]

Ignoring the possibility of bursting thru walls

That would be exciting!

[The Red Baron]

"EEK!", squeaks Dopey, his eyes going wide with terror.

The hobbet runs pell-mell away from them until he stumbles/bumps into Karl. He tugs at the fighting-man's leg, pointing towards those horrible awful things emerging from the darkness. Dopey had hoped that he could simply run away, and since he didn't see the Seers it seemed negotiation with a band of ferocious skeletons was out of the question. Teeth chittering, Dopey drew his blade and stood resolutely to cut down anything that came down the passage after him!

Luckily for the poor hobbet, Sister Arian was at hand...

I wish I had a warhammer right now! Can skeletons in DD be killed by arrows and swords?

Are there torches on the walls here? If not, who has a light?

[Eris]

Freid wouldn't know about Seers or Skeletons from where he is up near the front, so he'll keep following The Hearld, trying to close the gap.

[ehiker133]

Hearing a disturbance from behind, but unable to get to it, Leudigar calls forward,"There's trouble in the back! Some of you circle around from the Mess hall!"

[sully]

At whatever point The Herald hears about the problems in the back, he'll grab Zax and make sure the dwarf is following him before he turns around and runs toward the trouble.

[Eris]

Hearing Leudigar's call, Freid stops in his tracks and turns to his left to circle around.

As he starts off he'll call out, "Follow me!"

"Stuck in the back, all the fighting is in front. Get to the front and the attack is on the rear!" Freid is thinking to himself, "Can't decide if the gods are protecting me or just messing with me."