Your interpretation of my action was entirely correct.

It does bring up a weirdness in the rules, though. Suppose I need a 16 to hit, and, counting the penalty for two-handed fighting, I get a 15. At this point, I could decide to not spend my whole action doing multiple attacks, and instead run away, for example. So I'm not attacking with both weapons, so I really rolled a 17, not a 15, so really I hit, in which case, what I chose to do might change back...

and there's a rip in the space-time continuum, and as a result not only is D&D destroyed, but in fact all of 3rd edition D&D actually retroactively never existed!
:)
posted by Scholeologist at 12/12/2003 12:02:00 PM

If, when my initiative comes up, one or both of the leaders we're next to is out of action, I cry out a challenge to the unblinded ogre:

Weakest of Ogres!
Your mother's breast rejects you!
She likes me instead!

That might be a little too complicated for an ogre, so I follow up with:

Your Mother is sweet!
I know - after I screwed her,
I killed and ate her!

If that doesn't enrage him, I don't know what will. :)

While doing that, I advance towards the ogre, and if Ront is fueled with revenge for his buddies, or even if not, I am happy to help him join them. He did tell a good story though.

[Bob's TB] I figure everyone else moves faster than me, so I need to shorten the distance to the ogre or else everyone else will just pass by me -- and not using my dodge bonus seems like a waste. :)

Oh, and if the leaders are both still alive, I introduce one of their necks to my waraxe. If he dies then, I give my challenge and move toward the ogre (and probably into combat with some grunts.) If the waraxe doesn't take him down, I switch to a full attack and give him a taste of my other axe. mmm...tasty axes...
posted by Scholeologist at 12/12/2003 07:14:00 AM

Gonzo, I tried, but I heard the theme of the flying monkeys in the Wizard of Oz instead; then, the best I could do was the Looney Toons construction music, which sounds appropriate for the orcs, but...ah! Now I've got the Elmer Fudd "Spear and Magic Helmet" version of Wagner -- that'll do.

Looks like Alonzo and I are soon-to-be-charging towards the two soon-to-be-deaf leaders. Woo-hoo!

Not knowing about Drusilla's plan, it may come down to initiative and orc dumbness whether this will screw it up, I don't know. I hope that after the thunderstone, no one's going to be looking at where Alonzo and I are coming from, so the fact that we're not "from the East" may be lost on them when Dru makes her entrance.

[Barik] After the flaming arrows go up, I wait until the thunderstone goes off or 20 seconds, whichever comes first, before quietly urging Alonzo, "Now! Go!"

When we are surrounded by the chaos of battle, and the time for stealth is over, Barik cries forth this little bit of dwarven battle poetry:

Everyone dies, this is well known.
Perhaps today, or not for many years.
In due time, this day will be forgotten
by all except the gods.

This battle is hardly the largest in size.
The foe? Not the most worthy, indeed.
How can this be memorable to those
Immortal, deathless gods?

We shall strike, dragons unleashing fire.
Ring, Steel! Clash, Axe!
Fight with courage, flame-eyed friends,
So gods can hear our might.

posted by Scholeologist at 12/11/2003 11:18:00 AM

I'm terribly excited about the upcoming battle, but I haven't read everyone's stuff and I have to go to a meeting, so for now all I can do is post the new map. :(

It's pretty cool though -- soon Visio will simply be an effortless extension of our DM's consciousness. :)

posted by Scholeologist at 12/11/2003 06:53:00 AM

I'm not going to add still more confounding possibilities, but I will reply to Bishop:

"Whether it is Kray, or I, or someone else attacking that orc, they will have to assess the situation at that time. You are no doubt right, but we can't assume that Sandarkar's gambit will prove successful. This day has shown that many, many things can go wrong when the time for action comes -- for all we know, Sandarkar has fallen off the cliff. Our plan must take advantage of the distraction if he succeeds, but have a good chance even if there is no response when the flaming arrows fly."
posted by Scholeologist at 12/10/2003 12:17:00 PM

[Bob's TB] We've seen Kray's talent for strategy before, and it didn't exactly impress me. Questions about the map: At "B&J", do you mean "G&J", for Grell and Jesse? Also, what's the arc between the southern leader-on-the-path (SLOP) and the northern leader-on-the-path (NLOP, which doesn't sound as good)? Is Emeralda so slow that Grell is going to gallop past the orc on the rock, whack the SLOP, and bear down on the NLOP by the time we get there? (You didn't mention that in the plan for him.) And from the sound of it, Kray thinks he'll get the orc on the rock and get to the SLOP before Grell gets there, which means the warpony is that much slower. I don't care what happens after this -- I'm going home and getting my own freakin' horse.

[Barik]
"This plan looks solid. But I have a few suggestions. Do you propose that you are going to sneak up right behind the leader on the rock before the signal?" I look up and down at Kray's armor. "Do you have skills in quietly creeping that I don't know about? In addition, you mentioned in your pairing scheme that you and Grell should not reduplicate each others effort, but your plan ends up with the two of you right next to each other. I propose a few possible variations, depending on your confidence in your stealthiness.

"First, perhaps after you dispatch the orc on the rock, you can proceed to finish off the ogre that the archers have been shooting at, and in so doing protect the archers from the horde at the first tree.

"Second, instead of sneaking near the orc on the rock, perhaps you should sneak still further south before the signal, and make your first strike against the southernmost leader along the path, probably protecting Sandarkar from the other ogre, and perhaps meeting up with him in the fray. The orc on the rock could be Grell's target, on the path you indicated, then he could attack the ogre the archers are attacking, or sweep through the fray to where Alonzo and I would be, and, if all else is in good shape, join you, Sandarkar, Alonzo and myself in that southeast position of the southern leader.

"Lastly, we could shuffle partners -- you could go with Alonzo, and I could sneak up on the leader on the rock in your place. I, Grell, Josephus, and Sandarkar should be able to handle that ogre and leader, while you and Alonzo do away with the northern leader, then head west toward the other ogre."
posted by Scholeologist at 12/10/2003 09:12:00 AM

posted by Scholeologist at 12/10/2003 08:15:00 AM

[Bob throughout] We as players can chatter all we want about our plans and stuff, but we as characters can't waste much time. I say this based on my experience at the cliff with Ulfgar, where one of Scott's email responses was, and I quote:

May the force be with you. You shall pay the price for searching the
bodies...

Muahahahahahahahahahahaha.

This, I think, expresses quite well the DM's perspective on how time should be spent in combat or near-combat situations. :)

So far, all we've done is talk, which doesn't take game time to speak of, but there are two distinct time-taking actions, and we have the results of one of them, apparently ahead of time: namely, Barik's reconnaissance. The other big time-taking action is Sandarkar going down to the tunnel and climbing the cliff wall down to where the orcs are. Both of these could potentially take a while. Doing one and then doing the other, when they can be done at the same time, is just dumb, which is why Barik volunteered to do one of them in the first place. Having done that, saying Barik goes and does it and Sandarkar waits until Barik comes back before he goes out himself defeats the purpose. So much so that, in case it wasn't clear, _Barik doesn't leave_ to do his recon mission until Sandarkar leaves too. Therefore, it seems I've put up my map prematurely -- shall I take it down, we'll decide on a strategy without that knowledge, then I'll put it back up?

I thought you had a pretty articulated plan: throw a thunderstone. Throw alchemist's fire and heaps of oil (order probably doesn't matter). Blow on the horn to attract direction to the wrong direction among the orcs who can still hear, and to cover your escape. Try to get south and, when the orcs realize they're really being attacked by us, shoot at their flank. From the comments of Dru, Kray, and my impression of the climb up the rope to the tunnel, the fog is not going to be as useful as a "blind them all" scheme. For the non-mounted, faster-than-dwarf people, leaving the tower and getting to the orcs at a full run is going to take 5 rounds, I reckon. That's a long time indeed to be all on your lonesome.

Regarding coordinating with the archers, are you pouring unlit oil, or throwing flaming oil/lighting oil with alchemists' fire? If it's the latter, I'm guessing our archers shooting flaming arrows will figure out to shoot towards the bright orange stuff. If you're throwing oil in the dark and thinking they'll know where to shoot to light it, I think that plan may hit a snag or two.

posted by Scholeologist at 12/09/2003 02:24:00 PM

[Bob's TB] Not to complain about a little strategy, but in principle all we need to know is how long it'll take Sandarkar to get in position, right? G lights the spark, Sandy does the fireworks, the rest of us take advantage of the confusion? We're not going to be running around _in_ the fog, are we?

[Bob's TB in response to Jacob above] I thought, since we're sending you a signal, that we'd start sneaking out before you start your hijinks. Gimp sees we're in position (just a bit out of sight of the orcs), signals you, and you do your thing. Then we're there in a round or two, and you don't have to blow and hope.

Also I, uh, follow the DM's hints. :) Barik brings some writing stuff on his little reconnaissance mission. When he returns, he fills out his notes and landmarks, and the chalk marks on the plank together with his verbal description creates this image in your mind (except for you, Jacob, you're already on your way -- avert your eyes!)



"These two, along the path at the top, are lookouts. The others are all working on the trees, with the leaders directing the work. We can't know what Sandarkar's going to see, but if we're lucky, he might get some fire and thunder in the midst of one (both?) of the trees. I think it's always best to assume the worst, though. Whether the distraction works or not, if we eliminate the two lookouts quickly and quietly, we have a chance to take the battle to them while they are unawares.

"I should point out that I got a pretty good look, but there may be a patrol or some lookouts I didn't spot. I seem to recall seeing 4 sergeants, not 3...

"In any case, I would prefer to take a chop at the two guards. As you see, the area offers considerable cover, which probably works to our advantage. I can sneak close to the path and still avoid their eyes until it is too late for them. I can be in position to strike exactly when Sandarkar starts noisemaking. Then I will turn my attention to the first sergeant along the path, and perhaps get an arrow or two into him before Alonzo sweeps down the path on swift Emeralda to lop off his head.

"If that goes as planned, we will wade through the orcs, reaping through them like mushroom farmers at harvest time, toward the other orc leader along the path, assuming he hasn't been killed already. This second leader is perhaps the greatest flight risk, if Sandarkar doesn't get him. Perhaps if our first target is deafened or flaming, Alonzo can pass him by and trim this one's beard instead.

"How do other pairs wish to array themselves?"
posted by Scholeologist at 12/09/2003 07:37:00 AM

[Bob's TB] The door to the tower is facing north, right? So the orcs can't see us entering and exiting? If this is not the case, we should have several people exit at once and fiddle with the horses or something, to cover up Sandy's and my leaving.

[Barik] "We have but a few particulars to nail down before we're ready to begin. What signal shall we give for Sandarkar to begin? Perhaps a flaming arrow? Shall Sandarkar take the thunderstones Drusilla has offered as a better choice than the "Horn of Fog"? Then I think Sandarkar and I are ready to head out. I will return soon with the arrangement and activities of the enemy -- we shall decide our formation while Sandarkar gets into position, and then send the signal."

posted by Scholeologist at 12/08/2003 12:09:00 PM

Who's Boment? Surely we're not going to treat _everyone_ like Joey-Jojo-Junior-Shabadoo? Also, when Kray is talking about Sandarkar crawling along the path, what path is he talking about that Sandarkar needs climbing ability?

[Barik]
"I think we need to move quickly. If Sandarkar is going to creep along the cliff-edge to provide a distraction, waiting for him to creep down the path, assess the enemy, return, map them out for us, then climb back to actually proceed with the plan will take too long. I am experienced in these hills, and though I am perhaps not the most stealthy person here, I know the habits of orcs and ogres well enough to keep them from spotting me. (Also, if climbing is required, I am not unskilled.) Let Sandarkar proceed along the cliff edge, while I will creep down the path, determine the disposition of the orcs, and return. We can formulate where we should concentrate our attack, and be ready to move into position when Sandarkar sows confusion. We need to either set a time window, or provide a signal, so that Sandarkar knows when to start horn blowing or throwing oil or whatever."

[In response to Kray]
"I have few arrows left, and I would rather be able to sink my blades into orcs two at a time rather than poke them singly with arrows in any case. I would be pleased to join the melee."
posted by Scholeologist at 12/08/2003 05:48:00 AM