[003] Into the War Camp

[jemmus]

I was wrong about the effects of partial encumbrance. I don't think it affects bugei BCSs. It affects Speed and Deftness Abilities, such as BAP and MNA. And it affects Capabilities, such as Climbing and Jumping. But there's no mention of effect on a BCS for a bugei.

[Marullus]

I was wrong about the effects of partial encumbrance. I don't think it affects bugei BCSs. It affects Speed and Deftness Abilities, such as BAP and MNA. And it affects Capabilities, such as Climbing and Jumping. But there's no mention of effect on a BCS for a bugei.

I think you're right. Bugei BCS derive their initial value. Further advancement of the skill then can result in fractional attribute increases (1041.4). It also clarifies the categories that derive from current attributes as "Abilities, Saving Throws, and Capabilities."

[Marullus]

I forget, do we have a timeline here? Maybe waiting and watching for a good time to strike would be advantageous?

You arrived an hour before dawn. You are spending a little time discussing, but you can attack before dawn, at dawn, after dawn, or wait longer into the day. You traveled all day to the War Camp and then all night to get here so you've currently been up almost 24 hours - if you delay longer without actually sleeping, I'll determine penalties.

I really don't expect Taka to be of much use in the fight other than to cast mud. If we were dealing with a lone guard, the poison dart spell might be effective, but that's not our situation.

• Darts of Wood can potentially lower Strength - even a little reduction might impact ability to use a bow.
• Darts of Water does 1d6+1 subdual damage.
• Mirrors of Deception creates 2d3 mirror images of you, which could be quite helpful in attracting arrow fire at the illusions while allowing the Bushi to position.
• Quench and Burst Bonds both have potential for creative usage.
• Shadow Eyes lets you grant "See Invisible" for an hour. Not combat related, but potentially useful.
• Mud helps against those charging to melee but does little in ranged combat. (Perhaps subject to create usage.)

[Marullus]

Assuming you guys have surprise on the tower and are shooting from the road, tell me your preferred range and do you first round of actions. I can pick up adjudication there.

I need final declarations. Charges or archery for the bushi. Blessings for the Gakusho. Spells for the Shugenja. I need all BCS rolls for round one. I'll put it together and adjudicate the whole round at once, not per action phase.

[ffilz]

OK. Do you folks see any sense in the mud spell?

Taka can cast Mirrors of Deception just before we start the assault and then cast darts of wood at one of the guards as we assault.

Taka can cast Bursting Bonds to get through the door if we need to.

Quench could be used to put out a fire should they shoot fire arrows in attempt to light us up better.

[jmacatty]

Ha will close to 40 yards and fire an AP arrow at the right hand guard.
BCS=12+1(AP)+2(Range)+4(Man-rating)=19-AC
[1d20]=20
Not sure how wea re handling critical fails.

[jemmus]

Time is flying like an arrow, and Toshizo is too inexperienced with his recently inherited set of samurai armor to know how best to remove pieces to reduce weight and increase speed. Ha, I will also loose arrows at the guard on the right. Let's kill him right off and put one enemy's bow on the ground. You'll have to do the first shooting, because my kyu is not as strong as yours. I'll lope as fast as I can to the best range from a different side and start shooting. Good luck to us, let's do our best!

Then to the others, We must kill everyone in the house, one way or another. Ha and I are armored and can take blows. Please use your intelligence, wisdom, and your skills to help us. Good luck to all of us. I will do my best. He bows his helmet in respect, then readies his dai-kyu and starts moving down the pre-dawn trail.

I believe there are several roads into the valley floor. Toshizo will take the one that places him closest to both the watchtower and the house. He'll run to 30 yards of the tower (point blank range with his 2-man dai-kyu before shooting). His partially encumbered BMA is 5 yards per turn, twice that for running. So he'll run for 3 turns (18 seconds) and shoot in Turn 4. Phase 5 BAP, taking his partial encumbrance into account.

[Enoch]

Still trying to wrap my head around how exactly magic works, but if I read correctly Eiji has a "magic BCS" of 9 (Wit+Will/5 + level).

Eiji is willing to bless each of his companions. However, this blessing lasts until sunrise or sunset, so we should take that into consideration when we attack. If we attack moments before sunrise the blessings aren't going to hold.

This blessing will raise all your BCS by 2 for 1D3 Detailed Turns (you choose when to activate it, until the next sunrise/sunset) if successful. Alternately, he will bless you with up to 18% additional hit points if you ask. This is probably less useful, as his overall skill is low (18) and our HP are relatively low, so the percentage of them won't amount to much.

His BCS for either is the same, so I'll go ahead and roll for each character, and you can choose which blessing you want (if I'm successful). It takes 1D10 Detailed Turns for each, but that's still only 4D10 Detailed Turns.

Kamine no Toshizo: Blessing (BCS 9): [1d20]=6 Success. You get either an increase of 2 to all BCS scores or 18% additional HP.
Ha, aka Mishikawa Samimachi: Blessing (BCS 9): [1d20]=12 Failure. Sorry!
Sataka no Taka: Blessing (BCS 9): [1d20]=17 Failure.
Eiji: Blessing (BCS 9): [1d20]=16 Failure.

Total time: Blessing time: [4d10]=18 detailed turns.

[jemmus]

Nice, thanks! Toshizo will take the +2 to BCS for two detailed turns. [1d3]=2 He'll run to 30 yards from the tower at sunrise and use the blessing bonuses for his bow shots. I suppose Ha can attack alone before sunrise if he prefers. If he happens to take out the guards before Toshizo moves, he'll save the bonuses for later. (I see that Eiji gets a 1% increase in the Yoga for each successful Blessing).

[Enoch]

That's actually how much Shugendo he gets (thanks for catching that!), which means he'll get 0.2 Shugendo, which is not bad!

[Marullus]

Nice, thanks! Toshizo will take the +2 to BCS for two detailed turns. [1d3]=2 He'll run to 30 yards from the tower at sunrise and use the blessing bonuses for his bow shots. I suppose Ha can attack alone before sunrise if he prefers.

I am assuming you and Ha are coordinating shots now (before sunrise), since you're using the blessings immediately for the attack at the tower.
Depending on how the attack on the tower goes, both Gakusho and Shugenja can regain all their power points at sunrise and new blessings can be given for the day before you go down to the house?

[jemmus]

That's actually how much Shugendo he gets (thanks for catching that!), which means he'll get 0.2 Shugendo, which is not bad!

Does the gakusho get both shugendo and an increase in the yoga? It seems that way from the spell description o p. 27.

[jemmus]

Nice, thanks! Toshizo will take the +2 to BCS for two detailed turns. [1d3]=2 He'll run to 30 yards from the tower at sunrise and use the blessing bonuses for his bow shots. I suppose Ha can attack alone before sunrise if he prefers.

I am assuming you and Ha are coordinating shots now (before sunrise), since you're using the blessings immediately for the attack at the tower.
Depending on how the attack on the tower goes, both Gakusho and Shugenja can regain all their power points at sunrise and new blessings can be given for the day before you go down to the house?

In that case, I'd propose that we attack the tower shortly before sunrise and try to get surprise. On Toshizo's Action Phase of 5, unless Ha's Phase is higher. If it is, then on his Phase, so that both PCs can take shots that turn. Then Eiji can do another round of blessings at sunrise, if he chooses to.

[ffilz]

Umm... Taka's long range is 10 yards... She would be very exposed and take some time to get into range before casting spells... She doesn't move very fast, BMA is 2 I think (not sure where the 29 on her character sheet came from - oh, stuff copied over wrong) So that would be 10 turns in the open to close to 10 yards. I guess she can still act as an arrow magnet by casting Mirrors of Deception and making like there are 2D3+1 Shugenga casting spells...

[jemmus]

Using the darts spell might be less dangerous at the house.

[Marullus]

Umm... Taka's long range is 10 yards...

Oooooh... yeah, 10x per level at 1st level is 10. Good catch. I would have thought "Long" was, well, longer.

In any case, choose a spell and cast it! We need a BCS roll whatever your decision.

[ffilz]

OK, looks like Mirrors of Deception:

and

6 copies of Taka follow the bushi out of the woods looking like they're prepping to cast or something (too bad she didn't take her dai-sho, that might have been more threatening). Hopefully that will provide a good distraction.

[jemmus]

Thanks, GM Marullus! From personal experience, I know the page-thumbing, notes-jotting, and calculator keys-punching involved. I kept thinking, "An app could could easily do this, and much quicker and human effort-lessly. There should be an app." Who knows, maybe there is one? Saved on an Apple 2E floppy disk somewhere.

Very nice catch about Toshizo's -1 to AC for Iaido. Normally Iaido would give him another attack with the wakizashi of his dai-sho in the same round. But because of being boxed in and weighted by his full heavy samurai armor, his (carefully considered and balanced) Deftness-based Abilities are reduced from MNA 2 to MNA 1. No other strike per turn, the wakizashi is used for fending. Used for -1 to AC instead, Iaido secondary strike phase.

(I do believe that the Bushido designers meant this to be a hardcore tactical wargame. Plan, do or die. Samurai, do or die. Within an introduction and framework about samurai Japan history, customs, and culture. How good is that?

Anyway, GM has calculated and posted the numbers for the bushi doing the assault. Got mine recorded, everybody, please save yours so we don't have to scroll back.

Everybody, are we ready? Ha-san are you ready? At the nod, Toshizo begins moving along the trail down the mountain, views the tower in the pre-dawn dark, looks at the other bowman Ha, and prepares to launch arrows at the guard on the right. Two arrows launched at the same time, one from a very hard bow, one from a thinner one.

[Marullus]

Everybody, are we ready? Ha-san are you ready? At the nod, Toshizo begins moving along the trail down the mountain, views the tower in the pre-dawn dark, looks at the other bowman Ha, and prepares to launch arrows at the guard on the right. Two arrows launched at the same time, one from a very hard bow, one from a thinner one.

Please clarify what the AC of Toshizo and Ha are. (Armor worn, then +1 for their level). ​

Hidden on the mountain slope, the four companions and Kobi their guide plan their approach. They resolve to circle around from their current long-range vantage on this overlook to reach the ridgeline with the watchtower and the singular path that leads down the gentler incline into the valley beyond. Eiji prays for their success each in turn (Success on Toshizo) and then they resolve to attack with stealth to try and silence the two guards on the tower before they can raise the alarm.

Luck is with them - the guards are lackadaisical in the pre-dawn hours, having spent the night observing nothing of interest in the forests. They make it to the treeline and ready their potent dai-kyu bows. Ha nods to Toshizo, letting him set the mark, both aiming at the guard on the right as he leans lazily on the upright support post. Toshizo's arrow flies true, his togari arrow punching through the armor at his neck! (-5) Ha launches simultaneously, but his errant shot goes wide, disappearing into the dark pre-dawn woods. The guard gasps and gurgles, alerting his companion, falling to his knees as he tries to remove the arrow with his hands.

The guard on the left startles as his companion is shot, exclaiming aloud and reaching for his own bow to return fire. In his haste and surprise, he fumbles his bow, tipping it over the rail so it falls from the tower to the ground below!

At the edge of the forest, Taka moves her deft fingers, intoning the words of power to summon the illusions of her water magic. Five imposing-looking noble samurai women step forward from the brush, facing the tower as the first glow of the sun begins to brighten the eastern sky. Eiji waits behind them, serene in the moment. Kobi stands beside him, his dai-sho and yari not useful at this distance.

An auspicious round 1! Please roleplay your action and post new rolls for round 2 (hit and damage). Ha and Toshizo have their bows (no consequence for Ha's fumble). Describe how Taka's illusion magic works, and what the five samurai ladies are doing. For Eiji, does he have any action? (perhaps 'Observe Situation' if he is otherwise buddhist-ing?)

Rolls:

Also, note that no movement is allowed in conjunction with a "use Dai-Kyu" action, so you're firing from where you were able to advance to (30 yards) with surprise. That's Short Range for both of you. You can move forward on round 2 if you DON'T shoot.

HP: [1d10]=5[1d10]=10
NPC Surprise (Hidden things) [1d20]=16
(Definitely Surprised)

Toshizo has BCS 12 +1 armor piercer +2 target is passive -4 AC +2 Blessing! +0 Short Range = 13
Toshizo Kyujitsu BCS [1d20]=13
Toshizo armor piercer damage [2d5]=5

Ha rolled a natural 20 (critical failure)
Ha Critical Failure [1d20]=3
Using 1117.6 CRITICAL FAILURES IN COMBAT; this is a normal failure without additional consequence.

NPCs are allowed a secondary action on Phase 5 - they need to succeed at a Deftness save to use the 'ready weapon' action.
NPC Deftness Saves [1d20]=8[1d20]=20

the first guy fails. The second guy fumbles and loses his Dai-kyu over the railing. He will need to use "exchange weapon" on his primary action on the second round.

Phase 10:
NPCs (first action)

Phase 6:
Eiji

Phase 5:
Ha
Toshi
NPCs (second action)

Phase 2:
Taka

[ffilz]

The samurai women will dance around causing confusion, perhaps they are summoning spirits? Is there any ritual magic that requires multiple casters? Next time Taka will carry her weaponry so she could at least look more threatening...