Out of Character Chat

[Powderhorn]

No map yet - need to put that together... hopefully tonight? Wagons are covered with canvas.

[Tecumseh]

Obviously canvas can be cut through, but here's hoping that the bandits flow like water around the wagon circle and look for the path of least resistance. That means the spaces between the wagons will be chokepoints that we can clog. Otto should be good at that.

Maybe Otto, Suibne, Toktok, and Xan can each take one of the gaps. Eabha can zip around inside the circle and provide healing as necessary, or bonking/stabbing if the situation calls for it. I suppose we might get some intrepid bandits who try to crawl underneath the wagons.

Hopefully we only have to neutralize a few of the bandits before the rest cut and run.

[Bobcloclimar]

Toktok would have placed a non-lethal trap... somewhere, since we're now in a circle. I guess probably in one of the gaps between the wagons closest to the treeline, unless someone has a better idea. Or maybe even in the treeline?

[Tecumseh]

In one of the gaps would be a good idea. I presume the treeline is so long that a singular trap would have a minimal chance of affecting someone who we want it to affect.

[Bobcloclimar]

He'd have put it at the closest approach from the treeline, under the operating theory that someone would come through there since it provides cover the longest - but the rules don't really give an area of effect, so it'd still likely miss someone sneaking through, so in between the wagons makes more sense. Something to keep in mind while we plug the gaps, especially if we want to bait/funnel them through there.

Edited April 4 by Bobcloclimar (see edit history)

[Powderhorn]

[Powderhorn]

I placed everyone in what seemed to be a pretty reasonable position to me, all things considered. If anyone wants to to reposition, let me know.

It appears that you all have initiative on this one, so combat will ultimately start with your actions.

Also - the big X on the map is Toktok's trap, which can also be relocated if desired.

Also - is there a fire going? That will potentially light up your location.

[Tecumseh]

That looks pretty good. Alternatively we could have Suibne and Xan start two hexes to the right to help plug the eastern gaps, then have them slide over to the NW and SW gaps in case the bandits try to run around.

In my head there's a fire going, since Otto needs it to see while he's on watch. (And presumably it helps the others keep warm.)

Ooo, 15 of them. A target-rich environment.

We have the initiative but we're not going anywhere, so I'm not sure what to do with it other than to call out to them. Maybe Eabha can compose a bluff about a dread infection that they don't want to catch, or the traps we've put everywhere, or the divine wrath of the Goddess Airmed. Just something to make them think twice, maybe erode their morale a bit.

I'm sure Suibne or Toktok will have something colorful to say about the bandits' ancestry, or their parents' proclivities.

[Powderhorn]

1 hour ago, Tecumseh said:

That looks pretty good. Alternatively we could have Suibne and Xan start two hexes to the right to help plug the eastern gaps, then have them slide over to the NW and SW gaps in case the bandits try to run around.

I'll leave that that to the individuals. While I'm thinking of it, the following modifiers might come into play:

Shooting at a distant prone foe -2
Shooting or meleeing an adjacent prone foe +2
Melee attacking while prone -4
The target is at least half behind cover -2
The target is almost completely in cover -4
Thrown attack while being meleed by a foe -4
Shooting a bow while being meleed by a foe N/A

 

You also have the following available:

Stand Up - Move Action
The combatant gets up from a prone position, gathering any dropped belongings. Most characters that have just been revived from unconsciousness must get up before they do much else.

Go Prone - On Turn Action
The combatant falls flat, forcing distant ranged attackers to take a -2 penalty to hit them. Adjacent melee enemies find them an easier target, however, gaining +2 to hit.

[Ikul]

Could we (relatively quickly) dump out a wagonload of silt to reduce the chokepoints from 4 to 3?

It feels like a wagonload of silt is not worth that much money and us not being killed is.

 

On 4/5/2024 at 12:43 AM, Tecumseh said:

That looks pretty good. Alternatively we could have Suibne and Xan start two hexes to the right to help plug the eastern gaps, then have them slide over to the NW and SW gaps in case the bandits try to run around.

 

I think Suibne would start on top of a wagon and then hop down as the situation demands. Allows him to throw daggers from the cover of the wagon along the east-west axis at least (his Focus means thrown weapons are also melee weapons, which I really should look into using more effectively).

Edited April 6 by Ikul (see edit history)

[Powderhorn]

You could quickly tip it over, and that would create essentially a short(ish) cone of difficult terrain, but I'm not sure how it would reduce the choke points.

Recall that the wagons are covered with canvas, so it may be difficult to get up and down and up and down (and throw from inside of them)

[Tecumseh]

Traveling until Wednesday so I'll be slow to respond for a few days.

[Bobcloclimar]

I think there's a few too many to fight, although morale rules may help if it comes down to that. I think we should parley first - maybe we can bluff them into thinking the Instant Clay! (just add water) is super-valuable (because why else would we be carting around a wagonload of silt) and trade it for safe passage?

Edited April 6 by Bobcloclimar (see edit history)

[another aka]

Parley is a great idea. Xan might even be able to help out by using open mindCommit Effort as an On Turn action. While Effort remains Committed, you may detect the current emotional state of a visible living creature as a Main Action. This discernment isn’t fine enough to identify the object of their emotions unless it’s obvious from the context on the leader/main interlocutor. Our worst case if it does not work out is that we are back to square one.

 

[Tecumseh]

On 4/4/2024 at 3:43 PM, Tecumseh said:

We have the initiative but we're not going anywhere, so I'm not sure what to do with it other than to call out to them. Maybe Eabha can compose a bluff about a dread infection that they don't want to catch, or the traps we've put everywhere, or the divine wrath of the Goddess Airmed. Just something to make them think twice, maybe erode their morale a bit.

This is what I had suggested before. Up to Eabha though, as Otto couldn't talk his way out of a paper bag.

I don't want to fight, but if it comes to it then we're well-armed and well-armored. And we have a Healer.