Homebrew tabletop game system thread the II

[Kaelan]

William unhooks his axe and hold it ready in his hand.
"If we're going in, lets get on with it then"
muttering under his breath, "I hate magic...."

He'll start to approach the fog listening out for 'people' ahead, and more importantly listening out for the rest of the party backing him up (with luck).

[Simon_Jester]

"Let's keep an extra-close eye on Sir Hangman here, too..."

OOC:
How are we going to do this? We want some compromise between guarding the prisoner and keeping our heavy hitters in position to do anything about things we run into on the road. This looks like a job for a tactician...

Also, are the refugees making ready to follow us in? That complicates our plan.

[Eleventh Century Remnant]

Two minds here- on one hand I want to wait for everybody we haven't heard from in a while to catch up, on the other hand I want to do stuff.

Filling in a bit of the background- the Striking Phoenix did pull tricks like this at the beginning, misdirections and fog- screens and false messages, hijacking scryers to plant deceptive visions, many things; but by the time they got as far as Auvaine, the fighting end of the unit had won the internal argument, and they preferred to be seen coming so they had some chance of a decent battle from time to time.

Yes, the refugees are preparing to- well, hoping to use you as cover. Between them they have one amateur bow-woman, two spearmen, and a couple of others with hand tools and lumps of wood who are not warriors, hardly up for the attack, but would prefer to defend themselves than die.

Exactly whose horse did Radulf end up being dragged behind?

[Panzersharkcat]

"The elder is correct. He is the most expendable of us available. Barring that, however, Rohal and I will be the close-range combatants. Eliska and William shall stay behind and guard Sir Radulf. Rohal will best sniff out threats before any of us and I want to be on the spot for any decision making. I want Larric with us as well for his knowledge of magical lore and I will need a volunteer for the archer. I want us to maintain a tight formation while we're in that fog. If you cannot tap the person in front of you in the shoulder, you are too far away. I don't think I need to explain why losing sight of each other there will be bad. I will be leading the formation and I want Rohal in the rear. I would prefer if Larric stayed closer to Rohal but I am willing to leave that decision to him. I want the rest to maintain camp and guard our prisoner."

(OOC: I don't know whose horse he's behind. Can I get a full list of party members and their roles again? I'm trying to remember who are the archers in the group.)

[Simon_Jester]

I'll field that later tonight, Panzer; I have it all down. Maybe we should give everyone the (US) night to think it over, then ECR can plunge us into things tomorrow?

[Panzersharkcat]

(OOC: Thanks.)

Alfred pauses for a bit and says, "I am aware that bunching up like that can leave us vulnerable to area of effect spells but the alternatives are being denied crossing altogether or risk being picked off one by one as we get lost in the fog."

[Tasoth]

Feeling that the situation is getting ready to spiral into bedlam, Fallard has positioned himself so he can keep an eye on the group, the commoners, and most importantly, our noble prisoner.

((I have a question, ECR. Is Fallard able to use his non-combat skills in combat to swing bonuses to players or give temporary penalties to enemies? I know this is nothing like 4ed, but I really like the concept of a Warlord type character.))

[Eleventh Century Remnant]

Tasoth, short version; yes.

Long version, yes in a kind of complicated way- complicated because nailing down the Grand High Lists of Appropriateness is such an essentially tedious and asymptotic job, trying to regulate everything a clever player might exploit is a slogging game of permutations, that I haven't done it and actually have no real intention of doing so, preferring to file it under 'GM Judgement.'

A couple of general principles- related skills can support each other, Bargain can support Con, Determination can support Bargain but not Con because it's hard to bully and schmooze at the same time; Physician can support Surgeon.
Talking skills used to support combat works if, and only if, your opponent is willing to listen, if you're in a situation and an environment where you can actually talk. 'You killed my father, prepare to die' might work (Intimidation?) 'I say, would you mind not charging me, I've worked out the root economic causes behind this conflict and we can all go home now'- that won't.
Anything someone else has already got away with sets a precedent- Lorlen, may your characters live long enough to meet him, has enough assorted medical skills to augment his rapier skill- which overall reaches ridiculous heights I might add; he knows exactly how people work and where to stab them. The current deputy court sorceress of Qulan fights in such a flowing, sweeping style that she effectively adds a Dancing bonus to her sword skill.
There are a couple of obvious ones that don't work; Perception, because everybody should have it at some decent level and it could augment damn' near anything, is ruled out, for balance, on the grounds that it's a cheap shot. Tactics doesn't augment combat skills- except through one of the deriveds, good tactics skill means you can anticipate and react faster in a fight- because again, very widespread.
There are a couple of obvious ones that do- Leadership used on followers, that's pretty much exactly what it's for. Determination, which is one I'm dithering about plugging, so use it and exploit it now.

[Simon_Jester]

In alphabetical order:

Sir Alfred- that's you. Big hammer, excellent armor, and a broken-down excuse for a horse you like to call 'old paint bucket.'

Bryan- background as man-at-arms and bodyguard to the less martially adept of the noble class. Big two-handed sword, credible plate armor. Has a good horse, but not a warhorse. This might be what new paint bucket would look like.

Eliska- trained at a seminary of Krylanya until she was partway to being a priestess-paladin thereof, and if you read the first thread ECR did with this gaming system you'll have a rough idea of what that can entail. Keeps up the pretense of having gotten the rest of the way before she was kicked out. Likewise axe, shield, medium-weight armor. She's walking.

Fallard- carrying a nasty-looking shillelagh, and not much else that matters in a fight. He's walking.

Larric- Most suited for his magical and analytical abilities, might credibly cause some harm by hitting things with a club. Also at least basically proficient with a crossbow and he's carrying one right now, come to think of it. Has a pack mule loaded with what's left of his alchemcial lab and library after the Striking Phoenix sacked his town. He's walking.

Rohal- werewolf. Armed with axe and shortbow. He's walking.

William- cop turned crook. Fights fairly well with axe and shield, wearing light armor, can theoretically hit the broad side of a barn with a crossbow. He's walking.




SO

Basically, Alfred, Bryan, and Eliska would be the obvious choices for front-line combatants, as they are armored.
Rohal and William can hopefully take care of themselves in close-in fighting, though Rohal is really better used as an archer as far as I can tell, so long as he retains human form.
Larric and Fallard will probably be liabilities in hand to hand combat.

At range, Rohal and Larric should make adequate archers; Larric has magic which can complement or replace archery. William's skill level really is a bit too low to be very effective with a crossbow if you ask me.

[Feralgnoll]

Rohal's blood starts to heat up at the thought of the poor travelers being caught in fight and being harmed. A low, guttural growl escapes his throat.

"Fellow travelers, if things get rough, do you mind holding my clothing?"

He shoots Alfred a glance, "I have rarely fought in a pack of humans before. Anything I need to be aware of?"

Rohal grips his axe, as well as loosens his clothing (in case of a shift).

[Panzersharkcat]

Alfred accepts, as he prefers not to have a naked guy in his party. He starts rethinking the group he's bringing with him as he reevaluates their skills. "On second thought, I want Eliska with us and I will reassign Rohal to archery duty. William, Bryan and Fallard shall stay and guard Sir Radulf and the others." He says to Rohal, "Just keep your head on straight and you will do fine." He then says to Larric, "I would like a comprehensive list of all spells and abilities so I know what I can and cannot call upon from you. I would prefer to not try having a cloud of noxious stench thrown onto an enemy position only to find that my spellcaster cannot provide."

[Feralgnoll]

"Its not my head I'm worried about, its my heart." puts his axe away and draws his bow.

[Panzersharkcat]

"Regardless, I do not want to regret taking you with me. I prefer not having my flesh chewed on by ravenous beasts."

[Simon_Jester]

Alfred accepts, as he prefers not to have a naked guy in his party. He starts rethinking the group he's bringing with him as he reevaluates their skills. "On second thought, I want Eliska with us and I will reassign Rohal to archery duty. William, Bryan and Fallard shall stay and guard Sir Radulf and the others." He says to Rohal, "Just keep your head on straight and you will do fine." He then says to Larric, "I would like a comprehensive list of all spells and abilities so I know what I can and cannot call upon from you. I would prefer to not try having a cloud of noxious stench thrown onto an enemy position only to find that my spellcaster cannot provide."

OOC points:

If Rohal is seriously planning to change into a werewolf to fight, he'll drop his bow and it's just as well if he does. Also, you're being an asshole to him...

Asking Larric for a "comprehensive list of spells and abilities" is... magic in this game does not work that way. This isn't a Vancian system where I can say "my wizard casts sleep, fireball, magic missile, and Tasha's uncontrollable hideous laughter." The emphasis is more on themes and abilities, and it seems to me that it's often more up to the individual caster to figure out what to do with his powers.

I'm not even sure how to answer that question meaningfully, and Larric's liable to bristle at the tone. Come to think of it...

In character:


"If you want 'noxious stench,' precisely that and only that, sir knight, perhaps you'd better find yourself another man. I'll give this my best, but without knowing what we're going into, I'm not going to try to come up with a list of everything I can think of on a moment's notice."

[Panzersharkcat]

(OOC: Alfred can be a bit of a jerk, as evidenced by the fact that he would have made the old man go into the mist instead if not for disapproval of the others. He's not going to be outright evil but he's not exactly hero material, either. Anyway, I picked noxious stench because I wasn't exactly sure if the concept of poison gas was known and I'm pretty sure Alfred would not have the proper education to know about chlorine and, swiping from OOTS, making chlorine elementals.)

"I apologize for my tone. It was only an example. Do what you must do."

[Feralgnoll]

OOC: I dont mind lol. Rohal is used to being treated like a second rate citizen.

"There is a beast inside us all. It just manifests differently." with a nod towards Alfred.

[Simon_Jester]

Larric smiles- there's some tension there, though it's not quite a death's head grin- and nods. "Don't worry too much about it, sir. If you need something done, shout and I'll give it a go; you can leave the hows and wherefores to me."

[Panzersharkcat]

At Rohal's reaction, he says, "Wise words. There are times when our inner beasts ought to be exercised rather than exorcised." He then nods at Larric's statement.

[Feralgnoll]

OOC: ECR; as we are closer to the targets, what scents do I pick up? I'm looking for numbers, disposition, equipment, ect...

[S.L.Acker]

OOC:

Seeing as he's been concerned about the prisoner being rescued I think it's safe to assume that Radulf is with me. Though not exactly being dragged, I've been walking and he's being riding backwards on my horse. This assumes that he's in good enough shape to stay on the horse; if he isn't I guess a drag litter will be involved.

IC:

Bryan, who's let the others speak while thinking of his part in all this starts to lead his horse towards the mist. He rankles at the idea of being ordered around by a man who's not even well off enough to afford a proper horse and wants to get done with this business of magic fog as swiftly as possible. The information provided by Larric, a man he's swiftly growing to have faith in, also plays a large part in him feeling confident enough to start walking.

As he starts to put a slight gap between him and the gaggle of people he just left he looks over his shoulder and asks, "Anybody else just want to try walking through?"

[Kaelan]

So thats one backing william up.
Hopefully the rest will soon start to follow.

[Simon_Jester]

[Responding to Bryan]

"Yes, but let's try to do it orderly, shall we? There's a lot of bad jokes that start with people getting lost in the fog, if nothing else."

[S.L.Acker]

"I don't favor sending a group in to poke around in the fog and then come back out and let us know it's clear. Frankly if this is a trap then we just got a bunch of people picked off piecemeal that way. Why not just group up and walk through, show them we're not afraid. If things go wrong those of us that can fight hold a line and everybody else heads out the way we all came? Perhaps we could even try to clear out some of the fog on our way through; though I'll leave that to those that know about magic."

[Simon_Jester]

"...Isn't that what Sir Alfred is trying to do anyway?"


[OOC note: so let me see, William, Bryan, and Fallard guarding the main body of refugees, Alfred and Eliska out in front as the point men (so to speak, in Eliska's case), and Larric and Rohal more or less in between, with an option of "change into rampaging werewolf" for Rohal, while Larric is magical/archery support?

I think that's what Panzer has in mind; any objections?]

[S.L.Acker]

OOC:

Yeah, I missed his first organization post and just read the one after you went over the party's makeup...

IC:

"Yes, I suppose that's the case..."