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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Storm Raven" data-source="post: 2787119" data-attributes="member: 307">I ran an alternative version, and it got ugly for Claire quickly. I used the on-web dice roller at irony.com to generate the random rolls. I assumed that Claire started the combat with mage armor[ and protection from arrows active on herself (her total AC is now 18), and that she had shared them both with her familiar, who she is carrying in a pocket in her robe (hence, all familiar based bonuses for her are active). I also assume that she has her rapier in one hand (she only needs one hand to cast spells). I assumed that Narrin had his greatsword in hand (a fighter should usually start combat with his best combat option at the ready). I did not give Narrin a warhorse.StartInitiative. Claire rolls a 12 + 7 for a total result of 19. Narrin rolls a 20 + 2 for a total result of 22.Round 1Narrin's action: Narrin charges. Knowing that he gets a +2 to his attack roll for charging, he reduces his BAB by 2 and gains a +4 bonus to damage. He rolls a 16 to attack, for a total of 16 + 11 - 2 + 2 = 27, easily beating Claire's AC of 18. He rolls damage, and gets a result of an 8 on his 2d6 roll. He adds his damage bonus of +9, plus another 4 points for Power Attack, for a total result of 21 points of damage.Claire's action: Claire's options are limited. She could cast hold person on the defensive, but if she does, and it doesn't work, Narrin will almost certainly kill her with his next attack. She could try an offensive spell, but almost none of her spells do enough damage to put Narrin down, and she would be in the same position as she would if hold person didn't work. Her best option is to double move away from Narrin, hoping to get out of his reach. If she does that, she might survive, as her protection from arrows will likely save her, and she could probably get her scroll of expeditious retreat out and increase her speed enough to get away. Let's assume she tries to stay and fight, and goes with her best option: hold person. She casts defensively, needing a DC 18 check, and rolls an 18 + 13 = 31, good enough to cast the spell without drawing an AoO. Narrin needs to beat a DC 17 Will save, tough, but not unreasonable. Unfortunately, he rolls a 2 + 5 for a total of 7 and is frozen in place. Claire uses her remaining move action to move 30 feet away from Narrin.Round TwoNarrin's action: Narrin takes a full-round action to make another save. He rolls a 9 + 5 for a total of 14 and is still frozen.Claire's action: Claire fires off a Melf's acid arrow at Narrin. His touch AC is now 1 (10 - 4 for being helpless, -5 for having a Dexterity of 0). She only needs to avoid rolling a 1. She rolls a 17 + 5 (for her ranged attack modifier), for a total of 23, more than enough to hit. The acid deals 4 points of damage, and will last for another round. With her move action, Claire retreats another 30 feet.Round ThreeNarrin's action: Narrin takes a full round action to make another save. He rolls a 19 + 5 for a total of 24 and breaks free of the magical retraints. He takes a 5 foot step towards Claire.Claire's action: Narrin is now free of the magical binding, but is still 55 feet away from her. She could try a scorching ray, but she is too far away to hit Narrin with it. Magic missile is guaranteed damage, but not as much. She casts magic missile, hitting Narrin for 3d4 +3 = 9 points of damage. Narrin also takes additional acid damage from the Melf's acid arrow in the last round, suffering another 6 points of damage.(Note: at this point Claire has 3 hit points left. Narrin has 21 hit points left.)Round 4Narrin's action: Claire is 85 feet away from him, and Narrin can only charge 40 feet. Narrin can, however, run 80 feet as a full round action, so he does so.Claire's action: Narrin is now 5 feet away from her, close enough to catch up with her if she casts a spell and moves 30 feet. If she attacks Narrin with shocking grasp it might do enough damage to put him down. If it doesn't, he will almost certainly kill her in the next round. She could double move away, and get out of his charge range, but he could just run and catch up to her, threatening an AoO for future casting attempts and creating a stalemate until she decides to attack. She decides to try the shocking grasp attack. She rolls a 17 and easily makes the DC 16 Concentration check to cast defensively (her total result was 17 + 13 = 30). She steps 5 feet forward to make a touch attack at +5 (+2 BAB + 3 for a target in metal armor). Narrin ran last round, so he has no Dexterity bonus to his AC, for a touch AC of 10. She rolls a 17 for a total attack roll of 22, enough to hit. On 5d6, she deals 19 points of damage. Not enough to kill Narrin.Round 5Narrin's action: He's been waiting for this. He reaches back and whacks Clarie with his greatsword. He rolls a 13. Adding in his attack bonus of +11, he easily hits with a 24. He deals 5 + 9 = 14 points of damage. Claire is reduced to -11 hit points and dies immediately. Narrin is down to 2 hit points, but still standing. He drinks a potion of cure light wounds and loots Claire's body.Claire got off 5 spells in the combat, affecting Narrin with each one. I played her somewhat beligerently; really she should have run away as soon as she could. Staying and fighting a slower, but harder hitting opponent is rarely a smart option. If she had rolled just a little better on her damage rolls, it would have swung the other way, and if she had won initiative, it probably would have changed the outcome as well. Note how much can rest on a single die roll - if Narrin had rolls a 12 or better when Claire initially cast hold person on him, she probably would have died that round either when she tried to move away and drew an AoO, or on Narrin's next action in round two.</blockquote>

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