(01) The Approach

[ehiker133]

Goldwen quickly surmises Thanis to be the most injured. She goes to him with her Willow branch and touches it to his shoulder while envisioning his wounds closing. She puts all of her thoughts into healing his wounds.

[Kozos]

Smitten lizard men? Wait, how high is Stern’s CHA?

I believe "smote" is the word Kozos intended

Well if I ain't mistaken (and I can very well be since I am not a native speaker) smite is an irregular verb with the past tenses being smote and smitten.

[rredmond]

Well if I ain't mistaken (and I can very well be since I am not a native speaker) smite is an irregular verb with the past tenses being smote and smitten.

I actually assumed there were two meanings to the word when I wrote that.

[mgtremaine]

Well if I ain't mistaken (and I can very well be since I am not a native speaker) smite is an irregular verb with the past tenses being smote and smitten.

I actually assumed there were two meanings to the word when I wrote that.

^ This.. Sadly a joke is never that funny when you have to explain it, but Rredmond was using "smitten" as joke, with the meaning that "Smitten" is to like, love, lust after etc.... So the joke was, Stern falls in love with the Lizardman, he better have very High Charisma to "influence" the Lizardman's feelings.

[waysoftheearth]

No specific orders for Flin so I will assume--given he's a fighter--that he wants to fight the lizardmen. Next update today...

[Tonneau]

"Ptaazch!" curses Wraislin in the arcane tongue as he is hit!

Elemental energies boil under his skin as jostles to avoid certain death at the hands of a mere reptile

I assume jostling to avoid certain death implies that Wraislin will forgo any attack to go all out defense.

You assume....wisely

[waysoftheearth]

A couple of rules items to cover before I resolve the first melee round:

1. Should Goldwen's cure spell go off before, with, or after the lizardmen's attacks?

In later editions, actions of all types are resolved together, in initiative order. However, in 0e/CM's simultaneous movement system the turn sequence plays out in this order: movement, then artillery (including fireballs and lightning bolts), then missiles, then melee attacks. M&T says that wands and staves <<...are considered as being endowed with projectiles (or rays)...>> so they go off in the missile segment of the turn. That said, Goldwen's branch of the Tree of Life has only touch range (per the cure light wounds spell, S&S). So her cure spell could theoretically go off in the missile segment, before melee attacks are resolved, assuming contact (1") with the recipient (Thanis).

However, there is generally no missile fire allowed either from or into melee combat. So...


2. Should Goldwen be considered in melee contact or not?

Goldwen begins the round within melee range (the distance at which a figure can freely enter combat without needing a formal move; 3") but out of melee contact (equivalent to base-to-base contact when using miniatures; 1"). Unless a lizardman specifically moves into melee contact with her, or she herself moves into melee contact with any of them, she would remain out of melee contact and her cure spell would go off in the missile segment, before any melee attacks. However, the question is really whether moving into contact (1") with Thanis--who is in melee contact with the lizardmen--is effectively moving herself into melee contact too. Clearly Goldwen wants to avoid that outcome but, equally, she is a perfectly viable target for the lizardmen. If they had any intelligence, they absolutely would move to spoil whatever the opposition cleric might do. But as lizardmen are not that clever, I will dice to determine whether either of the two nearest lizardmen (one attacking each of Thanis and Witherun) are distracted by her shiny golden hair and randomly lurch to attack Goldwen instead. I'll allow a 1 in 6 chance for either to do so; meaning a ~30% chance of at least one of them so reacting. If this happens, Goldwen will count as meleed at the end of the move segment and therefore missile fire (including spells and wands/staves) will not be possible.


3. What is the effect of Wraislin forgoing any attack to go all out defensive?

CM's individual combat rules allow the defender to (attempt to) parry the attacker's blow instead of striking a counter blow. This reduces the attacker's kill probability by -2 on a 2d6 throw. Holmes continued to use the -2 modifier, but apply it to a d20 throw instead. Holmes also simplifies CM's chance of the defender being disarmed to: if the attacker then (even with the -2) throws exactly the score required to hit, the defender's weapon is broken instead of them being hit. FWIW, GH mentions parrying as a fighter only adjustment for high dexterity, albeit it isn't clear whether this is meant to modify a basic parry that everyone has. AD&D has parrying as an attack penalty based on high strength(!) The rules cyclopedia has parrying as a combat maneuver for 9th+ level fighters, adjusting all incoming attacks by -4 (on a d20).

DD converts the original 2d6 modifier of -2 to a d20 modifier of -4, and grants that if the attacker still throws exactly the score required to hit, the defender is disarmed (without weapons being broken) instead of being hit. However, a figure can only parry as many blows as they have men of FC. Thus, Wraislin can apply the -4 adjustment to at most two normal attacks.

(If you prefer me to cut the rules commentary, I can keep all this behind the curtain.)

1st melee round incoming...

[rredmond]

I would very much like the rules stuff to continue. I know a decent amount about 1e, much less about OD&D, and less and less yet about other editions. I appreciate the rules stuff. That being said, a question, Garamon and Stern are up front and presumably have fought with Goldwen before (?), and would use a move segment to block and protect her - she wouldn’t be in more than the second rank - offering some sort of defensive protection? Being a big fan of the cleric - I know, one of the few in our game - any of my PCs would move to protect the healer. Garamon’s main goal is to attack, because that’s ultimately what’ll keep the party safe, but if part of the move-attack could be to offer some protection, he’ll do that.
I’m going to trust the dice to not screw me again - three hits! Of course we all know what happens when one trusts the dice!

[mgtremaine]

Chainmail does have specific order rules for Attacking from rear or side which gives that attacker priority (page 25 middle of page) . Not sure if that muddies the waters so to speak.

[waysoftheearth]

At the beginning of the round, a crude representation of the battle looks something like this:

  Code:

.. .. .. ..
L1 L2 L3 L4
..\.| .| /.
L6 Ga St-L5
..\.. .. ..
L7-Th Wi-L9
.. .. .. ..
L8-Wr Gw ..
.. .. .. ..
.. Fl Ts ..
.. .. .. ..

L1 thru L9 are the nine lizardmen. The PCs are represented by their initials, with the lines between them showing who is attacking who.

Flin and Tass regain their wits and push up their column's left flank so that they can assist Thanis and Wraislin, respectively.
Wraislin goes defensive, while Goldwen moves to heal Thanis. The rest of the party are already engaged in mortal combat.

The mud-map then looks like this:

  Code:

.. .. L3 L4
.. L2 .| /.
L1\.| St-L5
.. Ga .. ..
L6\.. Wi-L9
../Th .. ..
L7\..Gw. ..
.. Fl .. ..
../Wr .. ..
L8 .. .. ..
..Ts. .. ..

By some fortune, Goldwen remains untouched in the tumult and the cure from her Tree of Life goes off as she hoped! Thanis miraculously invigorated!

The alpha lizard, a big ugly brute, and its hench-thing barge into Garamon again, this time dealing him only a glancing blow. Stern has to content with three of them, and takes a stunning mace blow on the helmet. Meanwhile Thanis has scarcely found his balance when he is hit again; surely this man is immortal? Can nothing slay him? Wraislin defends like a wall, and nothing gets near him now, but Witherun takes another hard blow from the right-hand lizard, and is in mortal danger.

But heroes are not so easily taken by mere lizards, and spring into furious action. Garamon takes the biggest brute down with an expert spear thrust through its throat. Stern hews through two reptile necks and into the flesh of a third with mighty arcs of his heirloom blade, their black blood splattering. Thanis, seemingly touched by the gods, cuts down one foe and wounds another, while Witherun likewise returns severe vengeance with his reptile killer blade. Flin cracks the spine of Thanis' last opponent with a crushing hammer blow, with Tass skulls Wraislin's oppressor with a sharp crack of his staff, distracting it from any further thought of the magic-user.

Within a scare moment, the lizardmen ambush is blown apart, hewn and spitted. With explosive fighting power, six lizards are slain and two of the remaining three wounded. Only one stands unharmed.

But even this seismic shift in fortunes doesn't penetrate their reptile brains; they merely look askance for a moment, as if confused... but then lift their maces to continue the task...

1ST ROUND

The ref dices to see whether any lizardmen will change targets (1 in 6 chance each), but none do. They all stay on target.

In the moment prior to melee (the missile/magic segment):
Goldwen is not meleed by any lizardmen and thus the cure from her Tree of Life goes off as she hoped and Thanis receives 1d6=5 +1 = 6 a very welcome 6 hps back!

Then it's melee:

The ref dices for lizardman hit points:
L1 2d6=5,6 -> 11 hp The big alpha lizard!
L2 2d6=1,6 -> 7 hp
L3 2d6=6,2 -> 8 hp
L4 2d6=4,1 -> 5 hp
L5 2d6=2,5 -> 7 hp
L6 2d6=2,4 -> 6 hp
L7 2d6=3,2 -> 5 hp
L8 2d6=4,1 -> 5 hp
L9 2d6=6,2 -> 8 hp

Now, the lizardmen are the attackers, so have the first blow, albeit no longer at +2:

L1 and L2 vs Garamon (AC 4): 4d20=11,6,1,17, (one hit; 1d6=1; 16-3-3-1-1=8 hp remaining)
L3, L4, L5 vs Stren (AC 3): 6d20=7,12,1,6,19,8 (one hit; 1d6=6!; 16-6-10 hp remaining),
L6 and L7 vs Thanis (AC 7): 4d20=5,2,17,5 (one hit; 1d6=3; 16-3-5-6+6-3=5 hp remaining),
L8 vs Wraislin (AC 9): 2d20=8,10 (at -4): 4,6 (no hits; 8-2-3=3 hp remaining)
L9 vs Witherun (AC 6): 2d20=5,20 (one hit; 1d6=4; 16-5-5-4=2 hp remaining).

Thanis is surely saved by Goldwen's cure!

And now our (literal) heroes can return blows:

Garamon (FC 4 men, spear+1 -> 5 men) vs L1, L2 (AC 5): 5d20: 11, 19, 15, 14, 1 -> 3 hits; 3d6=1,4,5+1 -> 11 hp. L1 11-11 hp, is slain! Makes short work of the alpha lizard.

Stern (FC 4 men, 2HS+1 -> 5 men) vs L3, L4, L5 (AC 5): 5d20:12, 1, 20, 19, 15 -> 3 hits; 3d6=5,6,4+1 -> 16 hp. L3 8-8, slain; L4 5-5, slain; L5 7-3 4 hp left. Slays two and wounds a third!

Thanis (FC 4 men, sword) vs L6, L7 (AC 5): 4d20:17, 7, 10, 20 -> 2 hits; 2d6=4,6 -> 10 hp. L6 6-6, slain. L7 5-4 1 hp left. Slays one and injures a second.

Witherun (FC 4 men, hunting knife +1, +2 vs reptiles -> 5 men) vs L9 (AC 5): 5d20: 15, 14, 13, 2, 4 -> 2 hits; 2d6=5,2+2 -> 9 hp. L9 8-9 hp, slain. Slays the right-hand lizard.

Flin (FC 3 men, throwing axe +1 -> 4 men) vs L7 (AC 5): 4d20=15, 4, 6, 8 -> 1 hit; 1d6=4+1+1 -> 6 hp. L7 1 hp left -6, slain. Finishes another lizard.

Tass (FC 2 men, staff -> 2 men) vs L8 (AC 5): 2d20=17,12 -> 1 hit; 1d6=4 hp. L8 5-4 hp, 1 hp left. Distracts Wraislin's lizard.
(Note: special attacks are generally unsuited to normal combat, and a bit tricky to work out. In this case a single backstab attack that does double damage is broadly equivalent to two normal attacks that each deal normal damage. So, for expediency I went with two normal attacks this time, but I'll think some more about how to handle this case in the future. Backstab would work differently in fantastic combat, of course).


Morale dice:
The lizards have lost two-thirds of their numbers, including their leader and must dice for morale: 2d6=8.
Even at -2 for their losses, there is no retreat!

Lizards 2, 5, and 8 fight on!
Garamon, Stern, and Tass are engaged against them...

What now?