OOC

[max_vale]

DM: Would we have heard anybody talking about "insect" men taking slaves or attacking people; etc.; or am I right in assuming that these are previously unknown beings to all of us adventurers? If so; being a NG character.....Ogre wouldn't just try to kill them...though he'd certainly be ready to defend himself!

[rredmond]

Actually these are unknown creatures to the lot of you. You've never seen nor heard of them. You do know that the guard crew came from down here, but it does not necessarily make these but things evil or aligned with the Slavers.

[Alethan]

In all seriousness...

We're traipsing about in someone else's underground tunnels, looking for slaves to release. We know the town we're in is full of bad people; we've sneaked in and fought ghouls and basilisks (losing our cleric in the process). We freed a slave who took off running the moment we had our backs turned on him, and we just got done hiding from a guard patrol of orcs and an ogre. We are suddenly confronted by 4 insectoid creatures with four arms, wielding swords in two of them...

I don't know about anyone else, but parlaying isn't the first thing I think of. I'm kicking into fight or flight mode. Assuming there are more of the same down the next tunnel (based on the sounds we were hearing), and the trap door is latched from above, flight isn't an option.

So fight it is, neutral good or not.

[max_vale]

To each thier own; but I'm thinking that we're all seasoned adventurers who would have seen and encountered many strange things in our careers thus far (giant multi-legged lizards that can turn people to stone for example ); and running into a group of beings we'd never seen before in the tunnels beneath a ruin where slavers are working out of wouldn't necessarily mean they are "in on it".

I don't think their appearence or the fact that they're armed (so ar we) would necessarily make us more or less likely to fight them. If they had no weapons but vicious claws or fangs or stingers; I don't think it would make them any more or less "alien" to us. On the other hand; as I just mentioned; this is a fantasy world in which we would have presumably dealt with all manner of "alien" beings/ creatures.....so we'd be somewhat used to it.

Perhaps they were always there and the slavers pay them off/feed them/use magic on them/ whatever; I'm not saying that Fight or Flight isn't a realistic option to Role-play...I'm just saying that attempting a parley I think is just as 'realistic' an option.

Just my 2 coppers.

[saalaria]

Ah but does anyone speak 'insect'?!

[tkrexx]

Given their physical make-up, I have to doubt our ability to communicate with them at all other than "charades" or a mathematic system, neither of which we (or they) would be prone to in the situation. A Tongues or Comprehend Languages might do it, but we are sorely without. These beings came the way we did, possibly being alerted by our escaped "slave," armed to the teeth mandibles, and we have our backs to the wall. I gotta agree with Alethan, better to live to regret our actions.

[max_vale]

It's a perfectly understandable reaction...I'm just saying that so is attempting to parley with them.

Also; I wouldn't worry too much about 'realistic' ability to communicate in a fantasy world where strange words and gestures and a litle bat-crap can turn into a fireball or where 80 foot long huge lizards breath flame and can fly!

[Alethan]

I'm not trying to convert, Max. I was just e'splainin' Freda's reaction.

[max_vale]

It's cool amigo....I was doing the same thing with Ogre's line of thinking.....or more like; 'feeling'.....I sometimes think of Ogre as kinda like Forest Gump with big muscles and a sword!

"Life is like a Beholder's eyestalk powers......you never know what yer gonna get"....

[tkrexx]

I recall ol' FOrgrest knocking the cookies from a couple of fellas, I'd say he had muscles too...

[Argennian]

"Life is like a Beholder's eyestalk powers......you never know what yer gonna get"....

Damn, I like that one, max!

Permission to use that on my FtF group this weekend?

[max_vale]

Sure thing....for a small fee, of course! Nah, have fun with it kemosabe!

[Vargr1105]

OOC: I don't remember if 1st Edition had any "Parrying rules" or not (and I'm at work, so I can't check right now); but Ogre's just trying to block attacks with his shield and sword.

It does. When parrying you get a bonus to AC equal to the bonuses To Hit gained from high STR and Weapon Specialization.

So Ogre gets a +3 bonus to AC when parrying. 2 from STR 18/56% and 1 from long sword specialization.

[max_vale]

Thanks Vargr; you're the man!

[Vargr1105]

I'll check the books. But I believe it's your STR to hit bonus becomes a penalty for the attacker and you can move backwards without a free attack being taken on you.

You can find it in OSRIC v2.2 pg. 122 under "Parrying".

The parry value is subtracted from the attacker's roll, which is technically the equivalent of improving the AC of the defender.

[Argennian]

Just wanted to chime in and let you guys know that I used Karraway the Cleric of Pelor in Jim Ward's play-test he ran last night over at DF for his latest Eldritch Enterprises product:
The Tower of the Scarlet Wizard

It was a TPK, and I expected as much, but it was also a ton o' fun. BUT unlike here, I was the next to last to fail his saving throw and go down. Huzzah!

It was Whitecollar Harry, Prespos & myself that made it out of a magical trap that was sleeping other party members but since Karraway was Lawful Good, he talked the other two into going back into the room to try and save their comrades, where we all three failed our saves and got snoozed.... and then eaten by some horrible monster. Sigh... I hope whatever it was, it hurt its tooth on the cleric's plate mail!

[saalaria]

Nice one Mitch. Perhaps he will pop up in another parallel universe again! For Slavers I am still holding out hope we find a stone to flesh potion/scroll somewhere!

[Alethan]

First we have to get past some massively low AC scores.

And, for the record, I think this would have ended in conflict regardless of our attack-first reaction. We are trying to break up an underground slave ring. I feel safe in assuming heavily armed creatures found in the underground area where we are supposed to be rescuing slaves are going to be opposed to our actions.

[max_vale]

Actually, I'm pretty confident they're some kind of neutral; almost certainly bought off in some way (food, treasure of some kind, magical spell, whatever) and they're neither inclined to help or hinder us. Just my guess....

[Argennian]

Nice one Mitch. Perhaps he will pop up in another parallel universe again! For Slavers I am still holding out hope we find a stone to flesh potion/scroll somewhere!

Indeed. One can always hope!