(079) What a Gnome Knows

[acodispo]

Wetzel is nigh overcome and wavers on his feet...

Wetzel started this combat with 1 hp remaining of 7. He has taken 5 total points of damage, though he is a fighter so if I understand correctly he ignores the first 2 points, but still takes a total of 3 points of damage. Can his shield (or anything) save him?

[ehiker133]

Leudigar arrives at the mess hall just after the hag is killed. Seeing no more immediate danger, he finds a bench to sit on and tends his wounds.

[Eris]

"Thanks." Freid mutters as he pushes the dead woman aside and moves into the corridor behind The Herald looking for more monsters or other dangers. If he sees none he'll scan the area and seeing Wetzel wavering will rush to his side and attempt to bind his wounds.
"Let me see if I can help." Freid says ripping a strip of cloth from Wetzel's clothing and trying to squelch the bleeding wound, "You look like you took the worst of it here."

[The Red Baron]

Dopey would like to change his position in the marching order away from the van, if there are uninjured fighting-men in the reserve to swap with.

[Tonneau]

Zax stubby-legs past Fried and follows The Herald, struggling (while doing his best to appear not to be) to keep up.

"Nice one lad," he says with a nod at the crumbled hag on the way past "you'll be ready to take on an old man soon"

[mgtremaine]

Zem amuses himself, briefly, by smashing the bones up a bit more and crushing them under boot foot. He looks around to make sure they were not carrying anything of value and or if there are any hidden cache nearby. With a satisfied nod he makes his way to the others.

[Eris]

Freid grins and says, "Better run, Stumpy or you'll lose him."

[waysoftheearth]

Regarding Weztel's life/death hp situation:

I thought his PC sheet had "7/7" at the beginning of the combat, but looking just now it has "1/7", so it seems I read it wrong Having said that, a 1 hp total doesn't seem right to me because everyone should be regaining 1-6 hp in the rest period after each combat.

Yes, he did ignore the first half normal hit (up to 2 hp). Yes, his shield should have saved him from a fatal blow.
Retracing the combat, Wetzel was hit twice in the 1st and 2nd rounds of combat turn two. As a fighter he would have temporarily ignored the first hit (1 hp), but the damage would have been added to the 2nd hit (so that 2nd 1 hp hit became a 2 hp hit). That 2nd hit would have slain him, so his shield would have been splintered instead. At this point then, he was still on his original 1 hp. He was then hit a third time in the 1st round of combat turn three (for 3 hp), taking him down to -2 hp and slaying him.

So, I'm thinking that the neatest solution to this muddle is--unless anyone knows otherwise--to presume that acodispo hasn't noted the 1-6 hp that Wetzel should have regained after the last combat. Therefore, I will roll it now. If Wetzel dices 1 he is slain. If he dices 2 he will be incap on 0 hp. If he dices higher he will survive. In any case his shield is destroyed.

1d6=2!

Therefore Wetzel is officially incapacitated on 0 hp.

[waysoftheearth]

Proceeding far enough along the passage to sight Karl, Zem, and the others amid the moldering bones of the defeated skeletons, The Herald spies no further threat in the dim passage way. Zem doesn't find any loot while crushing the morbid skulls.

The battle appears to be over; alas that Arian was slain, and Wetzel is down.

Righteeo folks, that was an interesting tactical situation... overall it ended pretty well for the remaining players.

Now there is normally a rest period after each combat in which the everyone takes a refreshing draft, refits armor, recovers dropped weapons, and binds any hurts etc. As Wetzel's situation has just illuminated this can be worth your while.

Perhaps someone can post words to the effect that the wounded regroup in the kitchen (or wherever) to rest up, while x, y, and z maintain a watch. Arian and Wetzel will need taking care of too.

[sully]

Disappointed in the lack of enemies to kill, The Herald returns to the kitchen and stands watch while any other party members rest and recuperate.