A Keep On The Borderlands: Arrival

jkason · May 11, 2012

Those troops preferring their longswords surge forward to rally near Bastian and Cormoroy, while the archers make their way in and begin firing in the direction of the southwestern enemies approaching.

[sblock=ooc]I'm going to go ahead and admit that I'm becoming quickly overwhelmed trying to handle large numbers of individuals in the fight. Probably shouldn't have picked the 'general'-y character. In any case, made attack rolls for everyone, though I'm sure some subset can't actually close (melee) or get to targeting range (ranged). Some subset benefit from Cormoroy's Bless, but I didn't apply it since, again, I wasn't entirely sure. No crit confirms on the two that threatened.

Disposition-wise, as above: melee (1-10) to close with the beastmen in the clump near Bastian (charging if possible, add +2 to any such attack) as well as they can. Archers (11-20) to get within firing range and concentrate on the unengaged combatants coming in the southwest corridor. If they somehow manage to drop those targets, reduce any remaining attacks for melee/soft cover and they'll try for the clump in the middle.

Melee attacks;damage;Ranged attacks;damage (1d20+1=18, 1d8=2, 1d20+3=16, 1d8=8, 1d20+1=6, 1d8=6, 1d20+3=16, 1d8=4, 1d20+1=4, 1d8=1, 1d20+3=22, 1d8=7, 1d20+1=6, 1d8=1, 1d20+3=19, 1d8=6, 1d20+1=8, 1d8=7, 1d20+3=11, 1d8=4, 1d20+1=2, 1d8=1, 1d20+3=4, 1d8=7, 1d20+1=21, 1d8=6, 1d20+3=15, 1d8=5, 1d20+1=13, 1d8=5, 1d20+3=13, 1d8=6, 1d20+1=20, 1d8=6, 1d20+3=22, 1d8=2, 1d20+1=16, 1d8=2, 1d20+3=6, 1d8=6)

Parsed to try to cut down on the mess above:

Code:

Melee attack rolls: 18,  6,  4,  6,  8,  2, 21, 13, 20, 16
Melee damages:       2,  6,  1,  1,  7,  1,  6,  5,  6,  2
Range attack rolls: 16, 16, 22, 19, 11,  4, 15, 13, 22,  6
Range damages:       8,  4,  7,  6,  4,  7,  5,  6,  2,  6

[/sblock]

ahayford · May 11, 2012

[sblock=ooc] Don't stress it man. Should probably spread the troops out amongst everyone to control....I've kind of lost track of my crows actually....[/sblock]

Shayuri · May 11, 2012

(OOC - My sense of it is that mass combat won't come up too often, and in the future it should be easier cuz we can have NPC commanders shoulder the burden. Hang in there for this one fight, and then it'll just be us PC's rampaging around the wilderness, subduing it to my will!

I mean...our will. Of course.)

Kaodi · May 11, 2012

Shayuri said:
...subduing it to ~~my will! I mean...our~~ Velshionee's will. Of course.

OOC:

Fixed it for you,

.

Axel · May 12, 2012

Shayuri said:
and then it'll just be us PC's rampaging around the wilderness, looting and plundering!

OOC:

Better!

I'm pretty confident this is about as big as skirmish combat is going to get. Any more participants and some sort of streamlining will have to be in it. 2 for 1 on dice rolls, or some other simplified method. Or just take out the cannon fodder component, and assume 1d6x10% casualties. Then leave the PCs to run amok in a "heroic fray".

Also, I get to e-roll dice soon! Yay!!!

Dr Simon · May 13, 2012

OOC: Yeah, I've got an array of potential streamlined mass combat systems waiting for if things get bigger. If it helps, you can give a give a general overview of what you'd like the troops to do and I'll do the moving and dice rolling, since I can move the "pieces" on the map. Also, if you want to split the command of the Dulat troops between Comoray and Bastian as we did in the ambush, that's cool too.

Dr Simon · May 14, 2012

The Dulat soldiers push forwards into the keep. The infantry, following Janson, move up to support Bastian, Comoray and Greggory on the frontline, but the fighting is inconclusive. Dack leads one group of archers one side of the entrance, Cassie leads another group to the other side, up onto the parapet of the keep. The first archers to reach high ground send a rain of arrows over the heads of their infantry towards the beastman reinforcements, but only one seems to go down.

Meanwhile, Arcata and Sh'aah gallop up on horseback.

[sblock=OOC]
OKay, I've moved and adjudicated with those rolls. Many of the troops weren't able to get to an enemy to engage, unfortunately, so the net upshot is:

Dulat #2 vs B10, hits for 2 damage (wounded)
Dulat #11 vs B11, hits for 8 damage (dead)
Dulat #12 vs B9, hits for 4 damage (wounded)
Dulat #13 vs B9, hits for 14 damage (dead)

As far as the Penal legion goes, I've assigned #1= Janson, #2 = Dack, #3 = Cassie and #4 = Tye.

Treble moved Arcata and Sh'aah's horses again. Everyone is now at, or in, the keep.

Next up:
Arcata
Gregg and the Penal Legion
Sh'aah
Bastian
Beastmen
[/sblock]

jkason · May 14, 2012

[sblock=ooc]Thanks much for the help, and the heads up on future combat.

FYI: Vacation Notice[/sblock]

Shayuri · May 19, 2012

Arcata and Shah arrive at the breach at a brisk canter and she sits up higher to see the fight. It seems to be going well overall...but there, well inside the keep, is a brute that towers over the rest. Bastian, ever the noble knight who leads from the front, clashes with it...but it's nearly as big as him AND his horse!

Grateful she'd saved her energy for this moment, Arcata murmurs words of power, and blue-white light swirls around her hand. She flings that hand out, and the light twists into an arrow; a comet, a projectile of raw magic.

It sails through the melee, dodging deftly around friends and foes. Here a soldier of Dulat is startled when the missile streaks between him and the beastman he's just finished off. There a beastman shrieks and ducks as it swishes past. It need not fear though...this spell is not for him.

The magic bolt erupts from the mist near Bastian and slams solidly into the giant he faces. Not as damaging as a sword's blow...but a message nevertheless, that the battle has been joined.

(OOC - lol...and thus ends the longest 'I cast Magic Missile' post I have ever written.)

Dr Simon · May 22, 2012

Arcata's magic streaks across the battlefield to strike the skurg, who seems more enraged than anything over its singed fur.

[sblock=OOC]
Next up

Greggory and the Crows
Sh'aah
Bastian
[/sblock]