Forum

Ahead of running my first session I have a couple of rules questions I would like cleared up please.

1. Characters that are Wounded can receive a Healing roll at most once per day. Characters that are Dying must receive a successful Healing roll within one hour or they die. How many Healing attempts can be made within this one hour span? Is the implication that since wounds can only be treated once per day there is only one chance within the one hour dying time for a successful Healing roll? At the other end of the spectrum, surely every friendly character and NPC that can reach the dying character within that one hour doesn't get a chance to heal him... There must be some middle road I would think.

2. Piercing Blows are scored on a Feat die result of 10 (and the Gandalf rune). Is the intention that the result must be 10 exactly, or 10+? I am just looking at how the Pierce Special Damage ability works and how you have to apply the bonus it grants to the Feat die result. It seems kind of a buzz kill if you are using a Spear, for example, and you roll a 9 but the +3 bonus you would get doesn't get you to a 10 exactly and hence no Piercing Blow. Is this intentional so as to vary the likelihood of getting a Piercing Blow with the different weapons? Swords being easier because a lot of different results can be made a 10 with its +1 bonus, Bows less likely because fewer results would work with a +2, and even fewer with the Spear's +3?

3. I am a little confused at how Engagement in close combat works. Are the combatants paired off anew each round, or once you have engaged a particular opponent you must remain engaged with it until either of you are defeated or can flee? If your were engaged the previous round can you jump to a new opponent this round as long as you remain engaged with someone? The rule only says you must remain engaged until ALL opposition is defeated, not the specific opponent you are currently fighting.

4. Fleeing a fight seems to be an automatic option as long as you are allowed to be in Rearward. If you were engaged in the previous round, but the numbers are correct in this round for you to be in Rearward, can you simply walk away from your opponent and then leave the combat when it is your turn to act, regardless of whether someone else engages your opponent or not? If you can place yourself in Rearward in this circumstance does your previous opponent just forget about you and go off to engage someone else (since the rules don't seem to allow any enemies to engage characters in Rearward at any time)?

Concerning Dying characters: Usually skill rolls can’t be repeated. If a companion is dying, I would allow one roll. But since this roll is important, you have a few options.

The hero rolling for Healing should use Hope, his Fellowship Focus should support him by spending one additional Hope point, making him inspired. That way we’re at +3d, bringen the dice pool to possibly 5d or 6d.

1. You can make one Healing attempt on a dying character, as "A failed HEALING roll cannot be repeated until at least a day has passed, as the failure of the treatment isn’t immediately apparent." The PCs think they've bound the wounds correctly, or at least hope they have, but tragically learn they haven't.
- Given the risk here, having an Elf PC make a Healing roll and spend a point of Hope for a magical success is a good idea, if they're available. A Dwarf with the right Virtue or any PC with an appropriate Wondrous Item/Marvelous Artefact can achieve the same result.
- If you don't have access to the 100% reliability of a magical success, spending Hope on the Healing roll (ideally while Inspired for 2d rather than 1d bonus) plus support from other PCs (for 1d, or 2d if someone is providing Support to their Fellowship focus) can help. As can Useful items (1d bonus) and having a Favoured Healing skill (roll the feat die twice, choose the best result).
- Or an NPC with the appropriate distinctive feature can provide a 1d or 2d bonus. (p135-p136)

2. Treat it as 10+. Spears get the largest bonus from pierce. Remember that an attack roll needs to hit to benefit from Special Damage options. You can't use Pierce to turn a miss in to a hit, but you can use it to convert normal hits in to Piercing Blows via Pierce. Or just spend the 6s on extra damage!

3. & 4. "Engaged combatants remain as such until all opposition is defeated, or until they leave combat." - appreciate there are elements of this that are ambiguous, think there are questions in the FAQ. I don't let people just place themselves in rearward once they're engaged. For my own part, I keep PCs engaged with specific foes unless some narrative circumstance (often accompanied by mechanics and player actions) helps drive a change.

In general, assume common sense applies.

2. That would be weird. The Pierce bonus is to get you closer to the threshold for a Piercing Blow. So for spears, this (and Fend Off) is where they pay off as a choice of weapon.

4. If you're engaged in close combat, you can't be in Rearward stance. I'd probably allow it if an ally joins in to engage your opponent, perhaps requiring a roll to get out. Maybe I'd allow disengage to Rearward as an action, definitely with a skill roll (prob Battle), in which case the opponent would find someone else.