User avatar
Ferretz
Topic Author
Posts: 46
Joined: Mon 01 Jun 2020, 19:35
Location: Ski, Norway
Contact:

First session, got questions

Sat 13 Nov 2021, 09:54

So we had our first session using the full rules. It went well, but we did encounter a couple of unclear situations.
We had played through the Starter Set first, and now we tried out the landmark adventure from the core book.

The company consists of two Dwarf brothers (Captain and Treasure Hunter) and a Man of Bree (Scholar).

The first unclear situation came when the Treasure Hunter charged onto a broken bridge and tried to jump the gap. He managed to jump across and started to fight the enemies there.
Then, a weak enemy shot an arrow at the armoured Dwarf, getting an Eye of Sauron on the attack. The Dwarf failed his Protection Check with another Eye of Sauron (and a couple of bad results on the success dice). He then rolls for Wound Severity: another Eye of Sauron, and he's down.
The enemies are defeated, and the Scholar rushes over to heal the now dying Dwarf using Healing. He fails. What happens now? Can someone else try, or is the Dwarf dead?

Because we were unsure of the exact rules for the dying Dwarf, I let the Scholar use a point of Hope on Healing retroactively, so he would succeed. The Dwarf is now Wounded for 10 days (reduced by Healing), and he wisely stays out of close combat. The company is attacked again, but this time they try to protect the wounded Dwarf in a bottleneck, where only two characters can fight at a time.
But can the wounded Dwarf, who is not engaged by enemies, still go into close combat stances? For instance to use Combat Tasks like Intimidate Foe?

Other than these questions, the first session with the full rules went very well.
 
Spat
Posts: 95
Joined: Sat 04 Jan 2020, 13:32

Re: First session, got questions

Sat 13 Nov 2021, 11:12

I think you deal with that session very well, but your Treasure Hunter has been taught a harsh lesson.
Concerning the Healing roll, the core book says concerning Abilities p.17 "it is highly advisable to have a single player make a roll, except when when something involves everyone in the group."
So I would allow 2 players to make the Healing roll as saving a PC from death certainly involves everyone, and also considering the high stake.
The § about Healing doesn't explicitly say nor imply that the Roll can be done only once. And the § about First Aid says a failed Healing Roll (to reduce severity) can be repeated under certain circumstance, so there is no blocking point RAW.

If you have many characters in the group and want to avoid rolling 4 times, you can impose that a 2nd roll is possible only if you have ranks in the skill, and maybe with one character rolling with the support of the others. All available people give a hand to save the dying PC under the direction of the most experienced healer.

In any way, once the healing roll(s) is (are) failed, the other characters just watch their companion die.

Concerning the Stances later on, Forward, Defensive and Open stances "allow combatants to exchange blows in the thick of the fight using close combat weapons." p.95
So if the Dwarf is protected and is not in the reach of opponent's close combat weapons, I would consider these stances are not available. Only Rearward Stance is.
If he approaches and takes the risk to be hit, he could assume the 3 others.
 
Dunheved
Posts: 494
Joined: Wed 11 Mar 2020, 02:07
Location: UK

Re: First session, got questions

Sat 13 Nov 2021, 16:30

In such a harsh situation, the LM might offer "Success with Woe" for the Healing roll.

A Bad Wound affecting the patient so much that a physical capability is Ill-Favoured until the next Fellowship Phase? Skills associated with the part of the body so affected might include any of the following as suggestions...

Athletics (naturally! any limb); in fact all three Movement skills could be Ill-Favoured.
both Song and Courtesy (throat affected);
Awe and Persuade (face covered in bandages, voice muffled, has a feeble look about them)

As for taking part in Combat: make them pass a Valour test before taking any stance other than Rearward or Defensive?
 
Themadviolinist
Posts: 67
Joined: Sat 10 Jul 2021, 16:01

Re: First session, got questions

Sat 13 Nov 2021, 19:14

I also think you may have rolled one too many times regarding the wound. I use the feat die from the failed protection roll as the determiner, which I thought was RAW.
 
User avatar
Harlath
Posts: 518
Joined: Sun 19 Jul 2020, 10:40

Re: First session, got questions

Sat 13 Nov 2021, 19:19

P101 of core rules, you roll separately on the wound table rather than using the feat die from a precious protection roll. Hope this helps! :)
 
baldrick0712
Posts: 672
Joined: Fri 28 May 2021, 12:29

Re: First session, got questions

Sat 13 Nov 2021, 19:45

I think I would have allowed a single roll with a plus (1d) from the other character for spending Hope to assist but not a roll per character. It would make big parties pretty much invulnerable. I would tell the player that unfortunately you died and to roll up another character - perhaps a close relative of the diseased. [EDIT] as the dwarves were brothers already, maybe just another character. [EDIT 2] I see you did this retrospectively. I'd allow that.
 
gyrovague
Posts: 591
Joined: Tue 28 Apr 2020, 16:52

Re: First session, got questions

Sun 14 Nov 2021, 02:43

I let the Scholar use a point of Hope on Healing retroactively, so he would succeed.
Seems like a perfectly thematic use of Hope.
 
User avatar
Ferretz
Topic Author
Posts: 46
Joined: Mon 01 Jun 2020, 19:35
Location: Ski, Norway
Contact:

Re: First session, got questions

Sun 14 Nov 2021, 10:05

I let the Scholar use a point of Hope on Healing retroactively, so he would succeed.
Seems like a perfectly thematic use of Hope.
Yes, but the player forgot, and one has to use Hope before rolling, right?
 
Spat
Posts: 95
Joined: Sat 04 Jan 2020, 13:32

Re: First session, got questions

Sun 14 Nov 2021, 11:19

Yes, Hope has to be spent when you are "about to roll".
But it seems a bit scholar to say "you had to decide it before rolling, that's the rule" while all people here are obviously learning a new game.
What you authorize as a DM during the first sessions can only be an exception to emphasize how the mechanics should function.
There's no point punishing players for not yet knowing the best possible move that the rules allow.

Maybe the Scholar should have chosen a Distinctive Feature that allows him to gain Inspiration on Healing rolls, or a Virtue to be Favoured on Healing Rolls as these are important. But that's the learning curve of a new RPG...
 
User avatar
Ferretz
Topic Author
Posts: 46
Joined: Mon 01 Jun 2020, 19:35
Location: Ski, Norway
Contact:

Re: First session, got questions

Sun 14 Nov 2021, 11:34

Yes, I allowed it retroactively, as it was our first session using the full rules, and we're all learning it. :)

But what surprised all of us (who have all played the first edition), is how deadly the new combat system can be if you're very unlucky.
A single arrow, from any attacker, can kill even the most well armoured warrior. And it is as it should be, I think.

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Harlath and 9 guests