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Game Design and Project Resources: The Workshops Quarter => Tabletop Design - The Senet House => Norbayne => Topic started by: Phoenixguard09 on December 17, 2016, 07:32:29 AM

Title: Collection of Norbayne Combat Tests
Post by: Phoenixguard09 on December 17, 2016, 07:32:29 AM
Just a quick test with the way a basic combat works in Norbayne.

COMBATANTS:
Danann Warrior, armed with a spear and wearing leather armour.
Leathe Rogue, armed with a shortbow and wearing leather armour.
Midlander Warlock, armed with a staff.

6 skeletal swordsmen, 2 skeletal archers and a skeletal champion. All armed with light armour and poor quality weapons.

INITIATIVE:
Rogue: 9 (6+d10)
Warrior: 9 (5+d10)
Skeletal champion: 7 (4+d10)
Mage: 7 (2+d10)
Skeletal archers: 5 (2+d10)
Skeletal swordsmen: 4 (2+d10)
The Leathe Rogue has a higher base initiative than the Danann Warrior and so therefore strikes first. Same applies to the champion and the Midlander Mage. If the base Initiative were equal, both combatants would roll-off, with the highest result going first.

ROUND 1:
The Leathe Rogue spends half an action nocking and drawing an arrow and the other half action Aiming at one of the skeletal archers.

The Danann Warrior takes up a defensive position directly in front of the skeletal champion who is leading the swordsmen forwards.

The Champion charges the Danann Warrior, who gets to make an Reaction Attack due to the Reach attribute of his spear. 42 (Danann's Combat Skill is 45) which is a hit. Damage is Danann's Strength Modifier + Spear Damage or 4 + 5. The champion negates 3 Damage due to Toughness and another 1 due to armour, meaning 5 Damage is caused by the Danann's Reaction Attack.

The Champion's own Charge Attack scores 86 (Champion's Combat Skill is 40) which is a miss.

The Midlander Mage attempts to cast a Furious Gale spell at the swordsmen, hoping to both slow them down and to reduce the accuracy of the archers. The Magic Level 2 Mage uses a Talent to roll an extra D10 to cast and expends the Soulfire cost for the spell. (3d10 = 3, 2 and 8 or 13) 13 is just enough (Casting Value 12+) to cast the spell and avoid a Miscast. The whole group of swordsmen are blown 18 feet backwards (d10×Caster's Magic Level, or 2d10 = 10 and 8) and take 2 Falling Damage, ignoring Toughness and Armour. For the next turn the archers will be shooting into Heavy Cover as well.

The swordsmen pick themselves up but are now too far away to engage the Danann Warrior in close combat.

The archers attempt to shoot at the Midlander Mage. (Ballistic Skill 30, rolls are 19 and 14) Both archers would have hit, except for the Heavy Cover provided by the Mage's Furious Gale. Both rolls are increased by 20 to 39 and 34, so both miss, albeit barely.

ROUND 2
The Rogue looses a shot at the archers, unaffected by the Furious Gale which is blowing towards them. (Leathe's Ballistic Skill is 48, the roll is 08) The Leathe has hit easily, but also has a +10 modifier due to the Aim action, pushing the roll to his under 00, making the hit a Critical. Damage is the Leathe's Strength Modifier + D10 + Bow Damage (3+d10+4 = 13). 13 Damage caused to the archer, 2 negated by Toughness. The archer is dead, again. If the archer had survived, the Leathe could have rolled on the Critical Hit chart for that Hit Location and caused some kind of lingering effect or extra damage. The next half action is spent on drawing and nocking another arrow.

The Danann Warrior makes a Quick Attack on the champion, saving the other half action for a Parry. The roll to hit is an 18, which is well under the Warrior's Combat Skill of 45. The Damage is the Danann's Strength Modifier and Weapon Damage, or 4+5, but due to the champion's armour and Toughness, 4 of this Damage is negated. The champion has taken a total of 10 Damage now, and only has 4 Health left.

The champion rolls a Full Attack at the Danann and rolls a 07 to hit, which is well under the champion's Combat Skill of 40. The Danann gets to make a Parry, and needs to roll over the champion's Combat Skill in order to succeed. Because the Danann's Combat Skill is 5 higher than the champion's, the Danann gets a +5 modifier. The roll is a 41, which is a close success. The strike is Parried and the champion does not get to roll Damage.

The Midlander Mage can see that the swordsmen will be able to engage and maybe overwhelm the Danann on their next turn, so attempts to put as many of them down as possible. The Mage uses a one-use-per-day Talent, Unbridled Casting, to use as many D10 to cast as wished, with the drawback that any Miscast incurred is automatically on the most severe chart. The Mage attempts to cast Unrelenting Force with 5D10 (Casting Value 22+ 9, 2, 8, 2 and 6 for a total value of 27, with a Miscast) Unrelenting Force is cast, but at a possible cost. Rolling on the Miscast Chart, the Mage merely loses a Magic Level for d5 days (7, which equals 4 days as this is rounded up). Unrelenting Force causes D10+Caster's Magic Level Damage and blasts the swordsmen back d10×Caster's Magic Level×2. (Roll=7 so 8 Damage is caused to each swordsmen.) They are also blown another 18 feet backwards, the Falling Damage causing another 2 Damage. All up 12 Damage has been caused to each swordsmen, which fells all of them.

The last archer attempts to shoot the Mage and rolls a 28, which would normally be a hit, but Unrelenting Force provides the same cover bonus granted by Furious Gale, and so the arrow misses.

ROUND 3
The Leathe Rogue Aims and then Shoots with both half actions. 39 is rolled, which is brought down to 29 by the roll to hit, which is a clear hit. 3+4+d10 equals 10 Damage which puts the last archer down.

The Danann Warrior makes a Full Attack and rolls a 76, but uses a Luck Point to re-roll, getting a much nicer 26 which is a hit. The champion takes a total of 12 Damage after applying Damage reduction from armour and Toughness and is dropped.

THOUGHTS:
Obviously the Mage was the outright star here, in addition to being the one at the most risk. Unarmoured, low Toughness, close to the front and drawing considerable attention due to all the spellcasting. Not to mention the blasé use of magic.

The Rogue was effective without standing out as such. One thing that did become apparent was that rolling, say a 12 under 60 was exactly the same as rolling a 12 under 15. I'm thinking that maybe every degree of success on a To Hit roll might add +1 Damage. It would help combat the fact that Strength and Toughness often cancel each other out with Damage and help make Quick Attacks a little more viable as a means of causing Damage.

The Warrior was unable to showcase much other than how spears work, but certainly the next fight this little group gets into, I can see the Warrior doing a lot more. I will have to make sure the Warrior's Talent list is improved for that next encounter as I think I put a bit more into the other two.

As for the enemies, weak but appeared more so due to the Mage's effectiveness. If those swordsmen had managed to make combat they may have caused a bit of damage, and could have supported the champion.
Title: Re: Quick Norbayne Combat Test
Post by: Phoenixguard09 on December 17, 2016, 07:36:16 AM
I'd like to get some kind of variety when it comes to the character builds in testing, so I would like to open this up to contributors. Let me know what kind of character you'd like to test and I'll send through the bits and pieces to create the character of that particular class and race. Better than if it is all just me. :P
Title: Re: Quick Norbayne Combat Test
Post by: Clockwork on December 18, 2016, 09:27:06 AM
Just a question dude, do warriors get talents which improve parrying?


How might a (possibly had already thought of this one back maybe a year ago) Feartarbh shaman-esque character; huge scutum-like shield and touch range damage spells work? :D


Or a Danann anti-paladin (whichever class has like drain life/corruption sort of spells) with a greatsword?
Title: Re: Quick Norbayne Combat Test
Post by: Phoenixguard09 on December 19, 2016, 02:49:56 AM
1. Yes, all the close combat oriented classes get bonuses to Parries, from flat bonuses to Ripostes on successful Parries and a few other bits and pieces. There's also the 'Chaining' mechanic, whereby a few a Combat Manouevres, which are the at-will abilities of those close combat classes, need certain prerequisites to be met. A couple require a successful Parry in the previous round to activate. It gives classes like Warriors a bit more tactical interest in combat than simply, 'I hit it again.'

2. Probably pretty well. I'll put together another combat test soon.

3. Hmm, life-drain and corruption curses narrows this down to Shaman, Warlock or Necromancer I reckon, while greatswords require a martial class. Shaman curses are a lot more reliable, if not quite as powerful as the Necromancer and Warlock, so I'd be looking at a Shaman, Warrior multi-class.

Until I put together the next combat test, I'll shoot through some material if you like and you can fiddle around with some of the character creation stuff. ;)
Title: Re: Quick Norbayne Combat Test
Post by: Clockwork on December 19, 2016, 02:12:21 PM
Sweet, I think that Warlock/Warrior is more the tone I want, Shaman for the anti-paladin seems too....Shamanistic? :P


I'll have peek at whatever you send, bash out some characters that strike me. Any interesting combat combinations I'll post here ;)
Title: Re: Quick Norbayne Combat Test
Post by: Phoenixguard09 on December 19, 2016, 04:02:39 PM
I should be doing something else tonight, but decided to do this instead. Basically, this is the next encounter for our previous group.

COMBATANTS
Danann Warrior, armed with a spear and wearing leather armour. The Warrior has expended a single Luck Point.
Leathe Rogue, armed with a shortbow and wearing leather armour.
Midlander Mage, armed with a staff. The Mage has expended 28 Soulfire and lost a Magic Level.

6 Wrothdar tribesmen, armed with bone hatchets and roundshields.
2 Wrothdar hunters, armed with bone knives and throwing spears.
2 Wrothdar champions, armed with spears and clad in hide armour.
1 Wrothdar chieftain, armed with a maul and clad in hide armour.

INITIATIVE
Rogue: 10 (6+d10)
Wrothdar hunters: 10 (3+d10)
Warrior: 9 (5+d10)
Wrothdar chieftain: 6 (4+d10)
Wrothdar champions: 6 (4+d10)
Wrothdar tribesmen: 6 (3+d10)
Mage: 6 (2+d10)
The Wrothdar chieftain and champions have the same base Initiative, and so had to roll off to determine who acts first.

THE BATTLEFIELD
The companions are clustered around a campfire in a clearing, deep in the woods. Suddenly, the trees around them erupt with fierce warcries, and a Wrothdar war party emerges from the forest, weapons hefted in meaty fists. Unknown to the party, at least as yet, two hunters lie in wait, ready to hurl javelins. The six tribesmen are arranged in a circle around the clearing, and the champions remain back with their chieftain on the western edge of the battlefield.

ROUND 1
The Leathe Rogue spends the turn loading and then Aiming at one of the tribesmen.

The hunters emerge from Concealment and hurl their javelins, one at the Leathe and the other at the Danann. (77 and 34 under Ballistic Skill 38. Wrothdar don't suffer penalties from darkness, so the 34 on the Danann Warrior is a hit.) The Danann uses a half action to make a Dodge thanks to the Quick Reaction Talent. (15 under 42, a clear success) The throwing spear whistles past the Danann.

The Warrior retaliates by moving towards the tribesmen on the western edge of the clearing, hoping to take a few out and move on to the chieftain and champions.

The chieftain and champions remain at the rear, but the champion does use the Inspiring Presence Leadership Ability. (25 under Charisma 30, with +10 to Command.) All the Wrothdar will now get a +5 To Hit for 5 Rounds, or until the chieftain is wounded.

The tribesmen break from the treeline. Three charge directly at the Danann Warrior and hit close combat, two go for the Leathe Rogue and the last for the Midlander Mage. The three chargers each take a Reaction Attack from the Danann Warrior due to the Reach ability of the spear and the Warrior's Spear Mastery Talent, which allows the Warrior to make more than one Reaction Attack per Round. (68, 42, 37 under Combat Skill 45, or two hits.) Damage is Strength Modifier + Spear Damage or 4 + 5 for a total of 9 Damage. This is negated by the Toughness Modifier of the Wrothdar tribesmen and any armour they might wear, which in this case is none, leaving them with only the 4 negated by their Toughness. Two of the tribesmen therefore take 5 Damage. The three tribesmen make their return attacks on the Charge. (32, 47 and 75 under Combat Skill 35+5 due to Inspiring Presence, means only one hits the Danann Warrior.) The Danann has only used a half action to Dodge and then a free action to move towards the tribesmen and so still has a half action to make a Parry left. (26 against the tribesman's Combat Skill of 35. Thanks to the Danann's higher Combat Skill of 45, the Warrior has a +10 to this roll, and so, barely, makes the Parry.)

Lastly, the Midlander Mage, who is still recovering from the exertions of the previous encounter. Seeing the oncoming tribesman, the Mage moves to the Leathe Rogue, and prepares a Furious Gale, only able to use 2d10 to cast due to losing a Magic Level in the last encounter. (8 and 9 or 17, beating the 12+ Casting Value for Furious Gale) The two tribesmen approaching the Rogue are knocked over and blown 2 yards backwards (d10 x caster's Magic Level = 2). This is also the direction the hunters are in, and so the Rogue and Mage count as being in heavy cover next turn.

ROUND 2
The Rogue looses at the tribesman that was chasing the Mage. (19 under Ballistic Skill 48, with a +10 modifier due to Aim, cancelled out by the -10 to hit due to the tribesman's shield) Damage is the Leathe's Strength Modifier + D10 + Bow Damage (3+d10+4 = 15). The tribesman takes 11 Damage after negating 4 thanks to Toughness, crucially, not dropping it. It does however need to take a Shock Check due to losing over half of its Health in a single strike. (30 under Willpower 32) The badly injured Wrothdar stays in the fight.

One hunter hefts a spear and Aims at the Leathe Rogue, the other tries to hit the Danann Warrior at range. (81 against Ballistic Skill 38 is a fail)

The Danann Warrior, still engaged by three tribesmen uses the Swift Disengagement Combat Manouevre, which is triggered by a successful Parry the previous turn. Swift Disengagement allows the Warrior to Disengage from combat without triggering Reaction Attacks. The Warrior Disengages and uses a free action to move back towards the fire. Now the tribesmen will have to move into range again, triggering Reaction Attacks and the Warrior still has a half action for either a Parry or a Dodge.

The chieftain hangs back again, conscious of keeping that Inspiring Presence ability active, but sends one of his champions forward to engage the Danann next round.

The three tribesmen charge the Danann once more, taking three Reaction Attacks again. (68, 18 and 35 under Combat Skill 45, or two hits once more) All the tribesmen are now wounded, and one of them quite badly. (Two of them have taken 5 Damage, and the other 10 Damage, from 14 Health.) The three tribesmen strike at the Warrior, and are quite effective. (33, 13 and 47 under Combat Skill 35+5, or two hits) The Danann attempts to Parry one (35 over 35+10 due to higher Combat Skill is a success) and succeeds, but the other Charge Attack goes through.  Damage is the Wrothdar tribesman's Strength Modifier + D10 + Bone-axe Damage (3+d10+2 = 10). This is negated by the Danann's Toughness and armour value on the torso, or 3+2, so the Danann takes a total of 5 Damage. (The Danann Warrior started with 20 Health and now has 15.)

The other three tribesmen converge on the Mage and Rogue. The two that were knocked over have been hampered enough that they are not quite able to reach the Mage to wreak their vengeance, but the third which was shot is able to Charge the Leathe Rogue. (16 under 35+5 to hit is a success) Luckily, the Rogue only spent a half action Shooting and did not reload, allowing the Rogue to attempt a Dodge. (69 under 55 is a fail, but the Rogue expends a Luck Point to re-roll, scoring a much nicer 11) The tribesman's strike goes wide.

The Mage is in trouble, and critically, running out of Soulfire. Expending 16, (Leaving the Mage with only 10 more Soulfire, having started with 60) the Mage conjures a Blade Wall between the two companions and the hunters, granting that all important heavy cover once more. To do so, the Wall is conjured right on top of the two charging tribesmen, which take 2d10+ the caster's Magic Level worth of Damage. ( 8+8+1 = 17 Damage, negated to 13 by Toughness.) They both pass the corresponding Shock Checks (14 and 21 under Willpower 32). The Blade Wall will remain active for d10+caster's Magic Level Rounds, or until the caster is wounded.

ROUND 3
The Leathe Rogue uses the Quick attribute of the dagger and draws it against the critically injured tribesman ahead, rolling a Full Attack. (17 to hit, under Combat Skill 30 is a success. The tribesman attempts to Parry with the free attempt given by the shield (20 against Leathe's Combat Skill of 30 is a failure, despite the +5 granted by possessing a higher Combat Skill) Damage is the Leathe's Strength Modifier + d10+ Dagger Damage, or 3+d10+2 = 10, causing 6 Damage after the 4 negated by Toughness, dropping the tribesman.

Both hunters hurl spears at the Leathe Rogue, one with a bonus due to having Aimed in the previous Round. (82 and 48, against 48 and 38 respectively means both miss, not even taking the heavy cover from Blade Wall into account.) 

The Danann Warrior uses Blood Hunt, a Danann-only Combat Manouevre, triggered by both having taken and dealt Damage in the previous Round, granting a Quick Attack as a free action. (26 to hit, under Combat Skill 45 is a hit) The struck tribesman uses a free Parry due to the shield. (19 against the Danann's Combat Skill of 45 is a fail) The tribesman takes another 5 Damage, leaving it badly wounded. (Two tribesmen are now down to 4 health, the other is still on 9). The Warrior uses Swift Disengagement again too, again triggered by the successful Parry in the previous Round, moving back again towards the fire, leaving a half action available for either a Parry or Dodge.

The chieftain again hangs back with one of his champions, having sent the other champion to engage the Danann Warrior. The champion Charge the Danann, who makes a Reaction Attack once more. (06 under Combat Skill 45 is a good hit.) The champion takes only 4 Damage, negating 1 thanks to armour and 4 thanks to Toughness. (The champion is now on 13 Health.) The Charge Attack misses. (58 against Combat Skill 40)

Only one of the tribesmen who were engaging the Danann moves toward the Warrior, the other two, more badly injured, slink around the side of the engagement, hoping to take down the Mage and Rogue. The third Charges the Danann once more, getting hit for 5 Damage for his trouble. (45 under 45. Barely a hit.) The Charge attack is resolved. (68 against Combat Skill 35 is a miss.) All three of the tribesmen which originally engaged the Warrior are down to 4 Health now. The other two tribesmen go for the Mage, having already navigated their way through the Wall of Blades. (47 and 39 against Combat Skill 35 makes a very lucky Mage) Both miss.

The Mage knows things are desperate and frantically throws down a Magic Snare between the two tribesmen, using 6 Soulfire. (3+6 = 9, just beating the 8+ Casting Value. Both tribesmen are affected and they roll to resist. 57 and 87 against Willpower 30 is not enough and both are held immobile for d5+ caster's Magic Level Rounds or in this case, 2 Rounds.)

ROUND 4
The Rogue can see the two badly injured tribesmen held by the Mage ahead, along with the two others approaching from behind. The Leathe makes a Charge attack with the dagger on one of the immobile tribesmen. (33, against Combat Skill 30 would normally be a failure, but due to the Magic Snare, the Rogue has a +20 to Hit, granting success.) Damage is the Leathe's Strength Modifier + d10+ Dagger Damage, or 3+d10+2 = 13, causing 9 Damage after the 4 negated by Toughness, dropping the injured tribesman.

Both hunters move a little closer and hurl their spears, one at the Leathe again, the other at the Mage. (57 and 90 are failures again, even without the heavy cover granted by the still active Blade Wall)

The Warrior, having not made a Parry in the previous Round, cannot use Swift Disengagement, and so makes a single Quick Attack at the one tribesman on 4 Health which is still engaged. (25 under 45 is a hit.) The tribesman makes a free Parry however thanks to the shield. (88 over the Danann's Combat Skill of 45, a success)

The chieftain and the unengaged champion move forward, ready to charge in. The engaged champion attempts to strike the Warrior. (21 under 40 with a +5 modifier is a success) The Warrior Parries this attempt quite handily. (91 over 40 with a +5 modifier for higher Combat Skill)

The tribesman still engaged with the warrior attempts to strike, but misses. (72 against 35) The other two tribesmen still capable of moving make for the Rogue and the Mage. They will be able to engage next Round.

The Mage makes a quick decision and concentrates on moving the Blade Wall. (14 under Willpower 42 is a success on the Channeling Check) The Wall can be moved up to d10 per caster's Magic Level yards in any direction, and the Mage pushes it towards the two hunters. (4, which is just not enough to get the hunters, who are 6 yards away from the wall now. The Mage uses a Luck Point to re-roll and scores an 8) The wall is pushed right onto the hunters, one of which is able to avoid the blades, the other is hit solidly and killed. (2d10 Damage each for 6 and 16 Damage caused. Toughness negates 3 Damage from each strike, but one of the hunters takes 13 Damage and is felled)

ROUND 5
The Rogue makes a Charge Attack on one of the oncoming tribesmen. (13, under 30 is a good hit) The tribesman attempts to Parry and fails. (05 against 30 is an abject failure) Damage is the Leathe's Strength Modifier + d10+ Dagger Damage, or 3+d10+2 = 9, causing 5 Damage after the 4 negated by Toughness, which is just enough to kill the tribesman, but leave the Rogue open to a return attack from the other tribesman.

The last hunter, having made his way through the wall of blades, hurls his last spear at the Mage. (38 under 38 is just a hit, which makes the Mage's decision to move the Blade Wall potentially deadly) Damage is the Wrothdar's Strength Modifier + d10+ Throwing Spear Damage, or 3+d10+4 = 12, causing 9 Damage after the 3 negated by Toughness, badly injuring the Mage. The Mage just passes her Shock Check (39 under 42), but is now at 3 Health from a total of 12. The Blade Wall dissipates.

The Warrior, having made a successful Parry is able to use Swift Disengagement, a free action to retreat five yards and then makes a Charge Attack back towards the tribesman engaged with the Rogue. (25 under 45 is a good hit and the tribesman's free Parry fails with 27 against 45) Damage is the Danann's Strength Modifier + d10+ Spear Damage, or 4+d10+5 = 10, causing 6 Damage after the 4 negated by Toughness, enough to kill the tribesman, and save the Rogue from potential harm.

The chieftain and the champion are now too far away to engage the Danann Warrior, but regroup with the other champion and move forward with the express intention of Charging next Round.

Only two tribesmen remain and one of them is held immobile by the injured Mage. The other regroups with the champions and the chieftain.

The Mage makes a Full Attack on the immobile tribesman. (37 against 22, which is a fail, but Magic Snare grants a +20 to hit) Damage is Midlander's Strength Modifier + d10+ Staff Damage, or 2+d10+1 = 4, which would cause no damage. The Mage re-rolls with a Luck Point, and this time rolls a 10. After explosions, the Mage ends up with a staff strike causing 21 Damage, before the tribesman's Toughness reduces this to 17. The immobile tribesman's head is caved in.

A QUICK OVERVIEW
Danann Warrior, armed with a spear and wearing leather armour. The Warrior has expended a single Luck Point and is down to 15 Health.
Leathe Rogue, armed with a shortbow and wearing leather armour. The Rogue has expended a Luck Point.
Midlander Mage, armed with a staff. The Mage has expended 56 Soulfire, 2 Luck Points and lost a Magic Level. Also down to 3 Health, and Blade Wall is over.

6 Wrothdar tribesmen, armed with bone hatchets and roundshields. Only 1 has survived, on 4 Health.
2 Wrothdar hunters, armed with bone knives and throwing spears. Only 1 has survived, no spears left on 9 Health.
2 Wrothdar champions, armed with spears and clad in hide armour. One is wounded, on 13 Health.
1 Wrothdar chieftain, armed with a maul and clad in hide armour. Inspiring Presence is over.

So far, the Warrior has been pretty amazing, holding up the vast majority of the enemy while the Mage and Rogue engage in a frantic dog-fight. The Rogue's ability to run in and get crucial kills on wounded opponents escaping the Warrior has been critical, and the Mage has done well in a support role, let down by how all the enemies have been more spread out in this encounter than the one previous.

Back to the action.

ROUND 6
The Rogue uses a free action to go five yards away from the conflict and draws and loads the bow, ready to shoot next Round.

The last hunter prepares to charge the Mage with knife in hand, having exhausted his throwing spears.

The Warrior stands still tempting the Wrothdar to charge.

The chieftain, champions and last tribesman move towards the Warrior, aiming to Charge next Round and overwhelm the Danann.

The Mage moves forward and expends the last of her Soulfire on an Aethyric Dart at the chieftain. (7+7 beats the Casting Value of 8+, but with a Miscast) Luckily, the effect of the Miscast is very minor, with a cold and unnatural wind blowing through the area, but the dart itself does a little damage. (d10+caster's Magic Level, or 7 Damage, 5 of which is negated by the chieftain's armour and Toughness)

ROUND 7
The Rogue Aims at the wounded champion and shoots. (19 under 48 is a hit) Damage is Leathe's Strength Modifier + d10+ Bow Damage, or 3+d10+4 = 11, 5 Damage negated by the champion's Toughness and armour. (Wounded champion now on 7 Health)

The last hunter is now out of range of the Mage, and moves forward again, looking to engage.

The Warrior still stands, tempting the Wrothdar charges, with a full action to both Parry and Dodge.

The chieftain and his group take the bait and Charge the Warrior. The Warrior makes a Reaction Attack for each charger. (59, 59, 25, 55 is pretty poor. The Warrior re-rolls the strike against the wounded champion with a Luck Point, but unluckily rolls a 75 instead.) Only the unwounded champion is struck, and takes 4 Damage. The chieftain misses with his maul (54 against Combat Skill 48), one champion hits and the other misses (25 and 55 against the champions' Combat Skill of 40). The Warrior makes a successful Parry (80 over champion's Combat Skill of 40, with +5 modifier for higher Combat Skill) and the tribesman misses horribly (97 against Combat Skill 35).

The Mage stands next to the Rogue, hoping to protect the Leathe from the incoming hunter. Or for self-preservation, either is good.

ROUND 8
The Rogue nocks, draws and shoots without Aiming this time at the oncoming hunter. (78 against 48 is a miss, so the Rogue expends another Luck Point, this time scoring a 33) Damage is Leathe's Strength Modifier + d10+ Bow Damage, or 3+d10+4 = 10. The hunter take 7 Damage and is put down.

The Warrior, having made a successful Parry, uses Swift Disengagement again to draw away from the mob of Wrothdar, and then holds position, still with a half action to either Parry or Dodge as necessary.

The chieftain uses Frenzy and Charges again, followed by the champions and the last tribesman. (36, 10, 79 and 00 are scored by the defending Danann's Reaction Attacks) The chieftain takes 4 Damage, as does one of the champions and the tribesman is felled. (The Critical Hit chart indicates the tribesman's throat was torn open, which would cause significant bleeding and suffocation Damage over the next few rounds, provided the tribesman had survived the initial hit. Which he didn't) The chieftain misses again (80 against 48) but both champions score hits. (35 and 28 against 40) The Warrior attempts to Parry one and succeeds. (71 over 40 with a +5 modifier) but the other strike goes through. Damage is the Wrothdar champion's Strength Modifier + D10 + Spear Damage (4+d10+4 = 9). This is negated by the Danann's Toughness and armour value on the torso, or 3+2, so the Danann takes a total of 4 Damage. (The Danann Warrior goes down to 11 Health)

The Mage holds position, still guarding the Rogue. She attempts to patch herself up a bit. (04 on the Heal Check, under 47 Intelligence and +10 to Heal Checks means 5 degrees of success and 3 Health regained, so she is back up to 6)

ROUND 9
The Rogue nocks, draws and shoots at the chieftain, but a 69 is not going to get a hit.

The Danann Warrior triggers Blood Hunt again, triggered by both having taken and dealt Damage in the previous Round, granting a Quick Attack as a free action. (19 to hit, under Combat Skill 45 is a hit) The most heavily injured champion takes the strike and takes a further 4 Damage, bringing him down to 5 Health, the other champion sitting on 13. The Warrior then uses Swift Disengagement again too, again triggered by the successful Parry in the previous Round, moving back once more, leaving a half action available for either a Parry or Dodge.

The chieftain, blinded by rage Charges once more, followed by the two champions. (27, 07 and 27, all under the Danann's Combat Skill of 45) One champion is down to 9 Health, the other on 1. The chieftain has lost 9 Health so far from a total of 25. The chieftain finally gets a hit (44 under 48), and the Warrior doesn't risk the Impact attribute of the chieftain's maul, opting to Dodge instead of Parry (03 under 40 Agility, with a +10 bonus to Dodge pushing the Dodge under 00). The Danann Warrior has the Acrobatic Lunge Talent, allowing Ripostes to be performed on a Critical Dodge as well as a Critical Parry. (27 under 45 is a good hit)  Damage is the Danann's Strength Modifier + D10 + Spear Damage (4+d10+5 = 15). 6 of this is negated by the Frenzied chieftain's Toughness and armour (Toughness has been bumped to 53 from 48 by Frenzy), but the Wrothdar leader is now down to only 5 Health. One champion gets a solid hit in on the Warrior however, and damage is the Wrothdar champion's Strength Modifier + D10 + Spear Damage (4+d10+4 = 10). This is negated by the Danann's Toughness and armour value on the torso, or 3+2, so the Danann takes a total of 5 Damage. (The Danann Warrior goes down to 6 Health)

The Mage moves in to the combat and attempts crack one of the champions over the head. (58 is a pretty poor effort).

ROUND 10
The Rogue looses another shot at the chieftain. (11 under 48)  Damage is the Leathe's Strength Modifier + D10 + Bow Damage (3+d10+4 = 16). 6 Damage is negated by the chieftain's armour and Toughness, but the arrow is still enough to hopefully put him down. (19 under Willpower 42, with a -5 penalty for the extra Damage caused by the Rogue. This still passes, and so thanks to Frenzy, that chieftain is still up on -5 Health) The chieftain however is still standing, refusing to go down just yet.

The Warrior triggers Blood Hunt again (09 under 45, making a hit) and puts one of the champions down. He then makes a Quick Attack on the chieftain. (25 under 45, another hit causing another 3 Damage. 20 under Willpower 42, with a -8 penalty keeps the chieftain up)

The chieftain and the last champion strike at the Warrior. The chieftain misses, but the champion hits. (75 and 30 under 48 and 40 respectively) The Warrior tries to Parry (68 over 40 is a success)

The Mage makes a hit on the chieftain (22 against Combat Skill 22). Damage is Midlander's Strength Modifier + d10+ Staff Damage, or 2+d10+1 = 12. The chieftain negates 6 Damage, but takes another 6, finally falling. (51 against Willpower 42, with a -14 modifier).

ROUND 11
The Rogue shoots into combat and misses the last champion, who looks ready to flee.

The Warrior finishes the champion off with a spear thrust as he tries to flee the combat.

AFTERMATH
Wow, that was intense. It also took ages, but I think it probably would have gone quicker if it were played by a group rather than an intensely lonely single man.

The Warrior was brilliant in this one. The battlefield control spear build is a good one, and judicious use of Quick Attacks to whittle some health away while staying mobile and exploiting the Swift Disengage Talent was really effective.

The Mage was, obviously, less effective in this one and had to play a lot smarter to have an impact. That said, she certainly did. Shifting the Blade Wall was a big error in the end. The hunters only did one thing really in the end, and that skewering the Mage after she shifted the wall away from between her and the hunters. Sure it took one down, but it was doing some good work just by providing cover.

The Rogue was impressive again. Clinical in dispatching foes. Towards the end there a few shots were missed, which may have gone differently if they were Aimed, but there was a bit of pressure time wise. Neither the Warrior nor Mage were in great shape by the end there.

I did contemplate having the Mage use Blood Magic to fuel one last spell but figure that was far too risky at 3 Health. :P

As for the enemies, much tougher than the skeletons. Wrothdar are quite fierce and strong fighters, and they certainly left their mark on this little group.
Title: Re: Quick Norbayne Combat Test
Post by: Phoenixguard09 on December 19, 2016, 04:04:05 PM
I'm flat out working tomorrow unfortunately, but I will send that stuff to you either tomorrow night or some stage on Wednesday.

Cheers mate, ;)
Title: Re: Quick Norbayne Combat Test
Post by: Phoenixguard09 on December 31, 2016, 11:28:19 AM
The next combat tests will be experimenting with some rules that are still up in the air a bit.

- Degrees of success to hit adding to damage caused.
- Slashing damage and bleeding, along with a modified heavily wounded threshold.
- Reduced Soulfire and Cantrips.
- Counter Casting and Dispels.
- And probably the first test, Spirit Magic.

I'll be using characters created by the community in these tests, provided we actually get some I guess. I may also pinch say the Maw characters, or Lily, Martialis and Carlos from the solo games I've run, all of which are around the same level.
Title: Re: Quick Norbayne Combat Test
Post by: Phoenixguard09 on January 13, 2017, 02:20:55 PM
We are actually pretty pleased with the way Spirit Magic works at the moment, so that's probably dropped off the agenda.

The next combat test will be with the modified Soulfire and casting I reckon. I will also be putting up information up to create your own characters on the appropriately named Character Creation thread. Things like Talents and such will be PM'd to you on a personal basis, as soon as I get my life in order enough to do so.
Title: Re: Quick Norbayne Combat Test
Post by: Clockwork on January 14, 2017, 05:24:38 PM
Mate I was thinking, no matter how strong the strongest leathe is, they won't be as strong as the weakest Feartarbh. I'm sure you've already considered this but anyway for the sake of clarity, is there an upper limit to stats? Like Max Lethe Str is 30, comfortably under anything a Feartarbh could even possibly roll. In relation to that (and which is why this is in the combat thread, I'm learning where to place posts finally :P) parrying doesn't seem like a feasible feat for that exact encounter. Is there more a general defensive stance which could be a cover all of parrying, dodging, fancy footwork, etc?
Title: Re: Quick Norbayne Combat Test
Post by: Phoenixguard09 on January 15, 2017, 07:39:56 AM
There is a defensive stance for bonuses to Parries and Dodging, yes. There's also a Talent available to a few classes which adds Agility to Damage Reduction in combat.

As for upper limit on stats, you can't normally go to higher than 50 more than your starting value. Equipment, talents and traits that can push them higher don't count to this though.

Once you've hit 50 in a stat, it costs 4 Advance Pts to increase as well, which slows that progression down. In the 3 Coins group, most everyone is over level 12 and despite that, only Xander has any stats over 70, namely his Strength and Toughness at around 80. Kel'Serrar's Ballistic Skill at 60-something is next, but with his near constant use of Patriot Arrow, he almost literally cannot miss anymore.

With that said, the system is intended to be played between 1st and 10th level. After 10th, it gets into "epic" level territory, where everything is  I guess superpowered.

Assuming gameplay halts at around level 10, a Feartarbh increasing Strength every level and having rolled the maximum for Strength at chargen will have a value around 90. Compared to a Leathe at the same level, again with maximum roll at chargen, 75 I think.

With that said, Strength is not just sheer physical power, but also the application of that power. Taking an arm wrestle as a very basic example, the stronger man may not necessarily win if the weaker man has a greater understanding of and ability to use, leverage and positioning.
Title: Re: Quick Norbayne Combat Test
Post by: Phoenixguard09 on January 15, 2017, 07:43:07 AM
Just another quick thought on parrying, namely that a parry is more often not as much a direct block as it is a redirection of force.

A Leathe will naturally want to Dodge rather than Parry in Norbayne anyway, due to naturally high Agility.
Title: Re: Quick Norbayne Combat Test
Post by: Clockwork on January 15, 2017, 08:22:12 AM
Quote
With that said, Strength is not just sheer physical power, but also the application of that power. Taking an arm wrestle as a very basic example, the stronger man may not necessarily win if the weaker man has a greater understanding of and ability to use, leverage and positioning.


Isn't that what int or wis is for? Surely Str is literally how much muscle mass a thing has? Otherwise taking it as more of an abstract use of physical prowess would dilute the importance of stats imo.



Quote
Assuming gameplay halts at around level 10, a Feartarbh increasing Strength every level and having rolled the maximum for Strength at chargen will have a value around 90. Compared to a Leathe at the same level, again with maximum roll at chargen, 75 I think.


Given that it's a d100 system doesn't that mean a leathe at 3 foot tall can be 80% as strong as the strongest feartarbh? What I would think is that the actual number is relative to the species and it's up to GM interpretation as to how to use it. Like have 90 Str means that your character is within the 10th percentile of how strong that race can be. But even then a midlander with str 90 wouldn't be able to move a boulder covering an entrance but because of a feartarbhs greater height, they could move it with 90.


I don't mean to overcomplicate or anything but to me it seems like race and identity is being supplanted by stats. I think there might be a more streamlined version of rules. Maybe even using part of the dungeon world ruleset or something (which is free to use btw). Just trying to give constructive criticism dude, you know I love this project :D


Quote
Just another quick thought on parrying, namely that a parry is more often not as much a direct block as it is a redirection of force.


Yeah I get that but physics tells us you need x amount of force to move y amount of force. Like if a squirrel tried to swat away an owl talon, the owl would still connect, just be like a couple mm out of where it was aimed. But then again as a wise man once said "She may be crazy, but she is right about the squirrels. Evil little bastards who live in trees only to mock you."
Title: Re: Quick Norbayne Combat Test
Post by: Phoenixguard09 on January 15, 2017, 02:10:21 PM
You're making some good points with regards to maximum values on the stats. Don't be too worried about criticism mate, I've been thinking about what you're asking for ages now, and I'm only sharing what I've come up with, not necessarily what I am happy with or completely attached to. ;)

I do still see Strength as being just as much about knowing how to use what you've got as it is what you have got, and same goes with the other stats. We don't have Wisdom, that rather gets covered by Intelligence as far as we're concerned.

Title: Re: Quick Norbayne Combat Test
Post by: Phoenixguard09 on February 22, 2017, 03:24:21 AM
Hey guys, we have a new test incoming.

Rules in Place:
- Degrees of success to hit adding to damage caused. (To help try and balance casters with non-casters)
- Reduced Soulfire and Cantrips. (Soulfire has been reduced by an order of magnitude to assist with book-keeping. Any spell cast with only a single d10 no longer costs Soulfire to cast, making it a Cantrip)
- Speed. (We finally have a defined measure of speed, based off Agility and race. The race determines your starting speed, which is how far you can sprint in a single half action, which is approximately 5 seconds. Your Agility bonus adds a single yard to this amount)

You'll be pleased to note Clockwork, that I have implemented caps on physical stats. The punishing caps are mainly 50. (From memory, Leathe are held to 50 on Strength and Toughness but can go to 100 on Agility. Feartarbh are exactly the opposite. Most other races are held to 70 across the board)

The Combatants:
TEAM 1





TEAM 2





The remaining character sheets will come soon.

Premise:
The idea here is some kind of pit-fight. The combatants do not wish to actually kill each other, and so we will get to see the Consciousness and Bleeding rules in full effect. The two parties are engaged in some kind of competition in order to earn the right to delve into a dungeon or something like that. I'm thinking we may even pitch these two sides against each other with two players, most likely Dev and Ladyhawk. We'll see how that goes.
Title: Re: Quick Norbayne Combat Test
Post by: Phoenixguard09 on March 01, 2017, 03:48:39 PM
I've added a handful of character sheets and will add the others when I get a chance over the next few days.

Just quickly talking about the team balance and how each combatant fits in each team.

Team One:
Has two reasonably light tanks and excellent support, but does suffer with regards to dealing high damage.
- Dorien is a Binder, a heavily armoured caster who can take a fair bit of punishment thanks to Shadow Fields. He doesn't have a great deal of health though. His conjured blades allow him to cause a reasonable amount of damage in combat too.
- Gryffynn is a spear-wielding Guardian. He doesn't use any Guardian magic, but is effective at tying up enemy combatants. Would normally look pretty good, flicking out Quick Attacks and knocking enemies Prone, but against a Feartarbh, that may be more difficult. Gryffynn gets more effective as his allies go down thanks to Avenger.
- Dayne will probably go wolf, and thanks to Wild Casting, can still cast in Wildform. Has a few good support spells. Using Ironwood Skin on Gryffynn or Dorien to help them survive in combat will be a priority. Can act as a striker in wolf-form.
- Varrik will be Team One's main damage dealer most likely. He can crank out an obscene number of shots every turn due to his extensively modified repeater crossbow and the last bolt in each magazine explodes on impact. He is unfortunately pretty squishy, and could well be one of Team Two's main targets.
- Briala is an interesting one. Very sneaky, she is slightly out of her element in this scenario. With that said, she does have the ability to Sneak Attack, and can do so both with her dagger or her flintlock, which could even give her a one-shot kill. It's reload is such that she will probably never get to use it twice though.

Team Two:
A heavy and a light tank, both very capable of causing damage, great battlefield control and a damage-based caster.
- Corbulo, like all Feartarbh Warriors is going to be a handful for Team One. Corbulo will lead the charge and, while not heavily armoured, can take a lot of punishment. Wields a mattock, which in his hands causes a nasty amount of damage. Will likely end up taking Dorien.
- A fire-based Mage, Caelwulf can cause a lot of damage very quickly. He is pretty frail though. Doesn't have much else going for him, but to be fair, probably doesn't need to.
- Roberre acts both as a light tank and a good close combat striker. Will probably rove Corbulo's flanks, taking on Team One's secondary fighter, likely Gryffynn. Excellent one on one and relies on agility and cunning tricks to defeat his opponents. Damage is an issue, but gets plenty of strikes. Every Parry he makes garners a free Quick Attack, and he wields a sabre and a dagger at once, so he should get plenty of opportunities to make that happen.
- Jagoda is a Blight-based Warlock, making her exceptionally good at making her opponents weak and feeble. As the curse archetype of the Warlock, Jagoda will probably be looking to reduce the effectiveness of Team One's support base. Most of her damage effects are slow-acting, but stack nicely over time.
- Lilliana is a Bard, and won't be causing much damage, but has some truly scary support effects. Discordant note provides a potential Stun on everyone in earshot and Lullaby can just put them to sleep. As a D'Artallion Bard, Lilliana has access to poisons and concealed weapons too, and as such has poisoned bolts for her hand-crossbow. Those poisons range from debilitating to potentially lethal.

I will be getting Dev and Ladyhawk to play this conflict out sometime next week. Leave a post here telling me which team you think will win. I think they decided on Ladyhawk taking Team Two, but I am not certain on that count.

Stay tuned! :P
Title: Re: Quick Norbayne Combat Test
Post by: Jubal on March 01, 2017, 11:49:46 PM
You've reached the dizzying heights of being featured in Updates again, to let you know :P

http://exilian.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=5082
Title: Re: Quick Norbayne Combat Test
Post by: Phoenixguard09 on March 02, 2017, 06:42:32 AM
I know! :D I saw that. Thanks again bud.
Title: Re: Quick Norbayne Combat Test
Post by: Clockwork on March 06, 2017, 01:31:20 PM
At least half those characters sound really, really familiar......


Yay, limitations!
Title: Re: Quick Norbayne Combat Test
Post by: Phoenixguard09 on March 08, 2017, 09:45:00 AM
Not sure I follow Clockwork. :P
Title: Re: Quick Norbayne Combat Test
Post by: Clockwork on March 08, 2017, 10:31:37 AM

Sure ;)

Team two looks like it should win btw
Title: Re: Quick Norbayne Combat Test
Post by: Jubal on March 08, 2017, 11:52:20 PM
Looking forward to seeing the result :) Betting on team one, for no good reason other than it's the opposite of what Clockwork said and I want sole victory in the betting :P
Title: Re: Quick Norbayne Combat Test
Post by: Phoenixguard09 on March 10, 2017, 03:04:11 PM
Still trying to organise when they can play it out but hopefully it will be soon.

I have to say Team 2 with a Feartarbh warrior and a straight Mage have an edge in sheer damage. Team 1 has a lot of powerful battlefield control type effects though.
Title: Re: Quick Norbayne Combat Test
Post by: Clockwork on March 10, 2017, 09:35:30 PM
Team 2 hype!


You don't bet against Leliana :P
Title: Re: Quick Norbayne Combat Test
Post by: Jubal on March 12, 2017, 01:55:16 AM
Team One! Team One! Fight conclusion is foregone! Team One! Team One! Fight conclusion is foregone!

(Never get me to write a football chant it will go badly for everyone)
Title: Re: Quick Norbayne Combat Test
Post by: Phoenixguard09 on March 12, 2017, 02:27:09 PM
I have posted a few more character sheets for your perusal guys. ;)
Title: Re: Quick Norbayne Combat Test
Post by: Phoenixguard09 on March 18, 2017, 06:46:57 AM
Dev will definitely be taking Team One and Ladyhawk will be commanding Team Two. We hope to play it out tomorrow. ;)

I have also completed the last character sheets, which can be found on the last post of the previous page of this thread.
Title: Re: Quick Norbayne Combat Test
Post by: Jubal on March 18, 2017, 08:06:15 AM
Hype hype hype :P

(Thoughts - this could actually be a good way to get people interested in in-progress games, by investing them in the results of playtests...)
Title: Re: Quick Norbayne Combat Test
Post by: Phoenixguard09 on March 18, 2017, 09:32:48 AM
Not entirely sure how we could get people invested if I'm honest. :P
Title: Re: Quick Norbayne Combat Test
Post by: Jubal on March 18, 2017, 01:35:36 PM
Well, you've managed with Rob and I :P
Title: Re: Quick Norbayne Combat Test
Post by: Clockwork on March 19, 2017, 02:23:01 AM
I am invested.


You tried asking your local games shop if they want to run a session?
Title: Re: Quick Norbayne Combat Test
Post by: Phoenixguard09 on March 19, 2017, 04:46:26 AM
Two problems:

1. Not in a position to provide a full document yet.

2. No local gamestore here, and hasn't been for about ten years.
Title: Re: Quick Norbayne Combat Test
Post by: Phoenixguard09 on March 20, 2017, 07:19:34 AM
We played out the Combat Test, and it went for approximately two hours.

TEAM ONE:
Dorien:
- Dev: Held him back too much and made fundamental mistakes. Mismanaged, just about everything about the character in my opinion.
- Ladyhawk: Bound Sword is cool and Shadow Fields is a really good spell, but we didn't get to see that today.

Gryffynn:
- Dev: Badly overextended him and put him in Corbulo's way. Did have a moment to shine, charging in on a Wild-formed Dayne/horse, but was bogged down and put down pretty easily.
- Ladyhawk: To be honest, barely noticed him.

Varrik:
- Dev: Great at range, but was essentially shut down by Caelwulf's Flame Curtain. Also unlucky with rolls to hit. (Probably hit with 6 shots out of 20)
- Ladyhawk: My biggest problem. Heaviest hitter on Dev's team, if I had to nerf anyone it would be him. Big trade-off in terms of the 5 shots a round and then 2 rounds of reloading. My first priority if I faced them again. Dev was unlucky to not hit more often, and rolled reasonably poorly for damage, but on another day he'd be a massive problem.

Dayne:
- Dev: Unfortunate spell-choices from PG here, many of his skills and spells were lacking in utility. I thought turning him into a horse wasn't a bad idea, but in execution, it went poorly. I definitely should have used him more as a distraction than I did. (I overcompensated slightly for Team One's lack of casters by giving Dayne some high-utility spells, but didn't keep in mind how much he'd struggle casting them)
- Ladyhawk: The horse idea was a good one, and if they had gone for the squishy characters rather than Corbulo I would have been in trouble.

Briala:
- Dev: Fireloques are terrifying if they bloody hit.
- Ladyhawk: Agreed, thankfully they weren't too accurate.

TEAM TWO:
Corbulo:
- Ladyhawk: Really tough and heavy hitter. Just as I would want from a Warrior. I would expect a Beserker to do more damage, but be squishier, and a Guardian to be harder to hurt but inflict less himself. A Duelist should emphasise quickness, but a Warrior should strike a good balance.
- Dev: Overpowered, scary as portugal. I demand a nerf.

Jagoda:
- Ladyhawk: Perfect battle-field control Warlock.
- Dev: I didn't realise how overpowered Warlocks might be. I think there may be a need to limit how the Warlock produces power.
- Ladyhawk: I don't think they really are that overpowered, they're balanced through potential danger. I got lucky and rolled well, so Jagoda didn't get hit in the face by a daemon, but if I had rolled poorly, she's probably going down.

Caelwulf:
- Ladyhawk: Pretty good. Good battlefield control once again. The Flame Curtain in the end game shut down the battle completely, preventing Dev's ranged attacks from having much impact, while ensuring that I could get through without hassle, but force Dev's characters to walk through the fire to get there. (Kindleflame was a little lackluster)
- Dev: Yeah, it's a Mage.

Roberre:
- Ladyhawk: Not too bad, better than I thought. Thought Duelists were a bit armadilloty, but he actually did pretty well.
- Dev: Not fantastically optimised but definitely 'made his points back' so to speak. In taking Gryffynn down, he managed to put both Gryffynn and Dayne out of the fight.

Lilliana:
- Ladyhawk: If Lullaby had gone off I could have tabled him. Really strong battlefield control.
- Dev: Very useful. Possibly OP'd having the Mage and the Bard on one team. Too much battlefield control on one team between them and the Warlock.

FINAL THOUGHTS:
Ladyhawk: I was quite concerned when Dev kept his force together, but then he split the party, and I was able to pick them apart one by one.
Title: Re: Quick Norbayne Combat Test
Post by: Phoenixguard09 on March 20, 2017, 03:26:50 PM
Unfortunately I was unable to keep a detailed play by play of what occurred, but I can provide the basic overview.

Dev put Dayne in the centre of his line, with Dorien and Gryffynn flanking him. Varrik took the right flank and Briala the left.

Opposing this, Ladyhawk positioned Corbulo foremost to anchor the centre of her line, with Roberre in his back pocket. Behind and on the right flank were Lilliana and Caelwulf, while Jagoda was a little wider on the left.

The first two rounds saw some preliminary jostling for position as neither side seemed keen to engage closely, wary of being cut off from their fellows. Ranged attacks were traded early as Varrik was able to land some shots on Corbulo and Jagoda successfully inflicted Agony on Briala. Lilliana successfully cast Inspiring Melody in the second round, strumming her lute and inspiring her compatriots.

(I'll take a moment to talk about this period of the match. Both players were hesitant to make the first move, and rather than being a bit boring, both players suggested the tension was a positive for their experience.)

Concerned that the spells available for Dayne to cast would take too long to come into effect, Dev decided to Wildform him into a horse and have Gryffynn mount up. Dorien also attempted an Arcane Disruption, but was unable to get the spell off and blew a fair chunk of Soulfire in the process.

With Gryffynn mounted, Dev decided to attempt a ride-past attack on Corbulo, which was his first major error. His attack was never going to do enough to trigger the Ride Down extra move (dropping Corbulo was very unlikely, even with a full Mounted Charge, but Dev attempted a Ride-By, which is resolved as a Quick Attack. As discussed later, he would have been better served by declaring a Mounted Charge on Roberre, who was also in range and would likely have been brought down, triggering the Ride Down free movement)

Key points in that round include Roberre charging Gryffynn, triggering a free Quick Attack due to Gryffynn's Spear Mastery, which Roberre duly Parried, triggering a Riposte straight back at Gryffynn. That exchange to me personally felt very fluffy, and Roberre proceeded to put Gryffynn down. Dayne immediately took his natural form and raised his hands in a gesture of peace and was allowed to patch up his fallen and bleeding comrade.

Briala opened up with both fireloques. One missed but the other almost dropped Jagoda in one shot. Jagoda gritted her teeth and inflicted Agony on Varrik, making it significantly more difficult for him to hit anything with his crossbow. Caelwulf also hit the dwarf with Kindleflame, which the artificer calmly shrugged off initially.

Caelwulf proceeded to block one half of the field from the other by placing a Flame Curtain between both halves of the field, providing significant cover against ranged attacks for Ladyhawk's characters. 

To cut a long story short, Ladyhawk had Briala attempt Lullaby, trusting to the protection afforded by the Flame Curtain, but was unsuccessful casting it. Dev and Ladyhawk both came to a sporting agreement that Dayne would not be targeted as he assisted Gryffynn off the field as long as he did not strike from behind.

In the end, Ladyhawk had Caelwulf drop the flames momentarily when ready, allowing Corbulo through to charge Dorien, who had finally summoned a sabre, but never used Shadow Fields. She also had Roberre charge through to an unsuspecting Briala, who was in the middle of reloading her fireloques. To top it off, Jagoda was able to ensnare Dorien in a Malefic Grasp, making it a simple matter for Corbulo to bring the Roanfaille down.

In the end, despite still having three characters practically untouched and Jagoda and Corbulo having a total of 5 Health between them, Dev called a surrender. With his two tanks down and Briala locked in close against a reasonably competent opponent, Dev had definite reasons for this.

AFTERWORD:
I was very proud of how Ladyhawk played today. She went in with a plan, used some spells and abilities I would not have expected of her and made good tactical decisions.

Team Two is triumphant! Next time either both players will have selected their own teams, or alternatively, Dev would like someone to take the idea I put forward as the context and turn it into an actual campaign. Not sure what we will do just yet.
Title: Re: Collection of Norbayne Combat Tests
Post by: Phoenixguard09 on February 06, 2018, 07:06:15 AM
So we have a few more mechanics that I'd like to try and showcase if at all possible, with perhaps a little bit of party-composition theory I guess.

PART 1: Party Composition Theory.

I believe I have narrowed things down to four in-combat roles and four out-of-combat roles which should ideally be covered by various members of a party.

In-Combat Roles:
Tank: The tank is primarily about defending the rest of the party, normally by ensuring that the enemy attacks the tank first. The tank must be able to both draw enemies in and take a hefty amount of punishment.

Striker: The striker is the group's primary damage dealer, and will normally sacrifice durability for damage potential. Strikers are usually split between ranged and close combat variations, but both types want to cause a lot of damage and not take any damage in return.

Support: This would be where your combat healer comes in, but Norbayne has none, so this is focused on improving your allies, through various means. The support role is generally dominated by caster classes.

Control: The other side of the support role, control is all about negating the enemies' strengths and weakening them. This can be done in a multitude of ways, from lowering stats and inflicting nasty effects, to dominating the foe, or even just the threat of massive area of effect damage, cordoning off parts of the battlefield.

Out-of-Combat Roles:
Face: The face should be the character the players turn to when someone needs to be persuaded. This isn't to say that the face is the only character allowed to role-play, but every group tends to have one character built to succeed in social situations.

Library: The library's main stock in trade, at least in Norbayne, is knowledge checks.

Bull: Many obstacles can only be passed with the skilled application of brute strength, which is where the bull comes in.

Scout: Someone sneaky who can pass by obstacles unseen. Can also be handy finding resources in unfamiliar locations.

As you can see, most character will fulfil a few roles to varying degrees each, and that is the intention. The idea is merely that a party should have at least one character that can do each role pretty well.

PART 2: A Sample Party
Ezra Peirson (Midlander Bard) - Support, Control, Face, Library
Ciara Ceonach (Leathe Mesmer) - Control, Face, Scout
Bardr Hawkonsson (Northmann Warrior) - Tank, Striker, Bull
Leofflaed Cild-Mildgyn (Dunscarth Warlock) - Striker, Control, Library

So as we can see here, we've got a nice mix of abilities across the four characters, with each role covered at least once.

PART 3: In which we'll see this party try and get through a dungeon, showcasing some of the new mechanics.