[003] Into the War Camp

[jmacatty]

Ha moves to engage, attacking with his katana.

Whenever he actually gets to swing:

BCS= 12 + 1 (sword qual.) + 2 (blessing)= 15-AC

[1d20]=13

Likely a miss, but I'll roll damage anyway, just in case.

[1d6+3]=1+3=4

[jmacatty]

OOC Actually, I figured the damage wrong. Should be 1d6 + 2 (katana) =3 (strength) + 1 (sword Quality) = 1d6+6

[jemmus]

Thank you, Eiji-san. Seeing the ashigaru emerge from the house, Toshizo drops his bow and charges the one on the right side, while quick-drawing both his katana and wakizashi. He holds the wakizashi before his face in a parrying position and aims a katana slash at the bandit's neck.

Partially encumbered BMA is 5, charging BMA is 10. Charges 8 yds to Medium range (2 yds).
Iaijutsu charging attack with katana - BCS 12 +1 Charging +2 Blessing = BCS 15. Per the rules, charge attack resolved on Action Phase 2, after all other actions that phase. [1d20+3]=4+3=7 Whoops, I shouldn't have added the +3, had my game systems confused I guess. But still a natural hit.[1d6+2]=4+2=6
Ni-to-jutsu Parry with wakizashi - BCS 12 [1d20]=17 Failed, no bonus to AC 8.

[Marullus]

Critical success on blessing: It will grant +1 extra blessing (so Ha can activate twice before sunset) and also double On for the caster. This is an extrapolation, but in line with what is allowed for "faithful."

Ha and Toshizo lead, Kobi behind and with them, down the trail through the morning mists. Eiji follows behind, having prayed for the success of his companions. Taka whispers and performs her gestures, invoking her mystical arts with no visible effect as of yet. About one-third of the way up the trail (50 yards from house), the two guards coming up the trail see the five figures coming towards them through the mist, the front three heavily armed.

Seeing themselves outnumbered, the guards turn on their heels to flee back towards the house below. Kobi closes with his good-quality yari in hand, the sharp-bladed spear slicing across the back of the left guard's legs. (-7hp) The left guard stumbles forward (5 yards movement) as the right guard flees at a run (also 5 yards), both of them staying narrowly ahead of Ha (6 yards movement) and Toshizo (10 yards movement).

Distance from the House: (i.e. linear battle-mapping)
Left Guard - 45 yards
Right Guard - 45 yards
Toshizo - 50 yards
Kobi - 50 yards
Ha - 54 yards
Taka - 60 yards
Eiji - 54-60 yards - he has the option of Running to keep up (6 yards) or Observing the Situation (and 1 yard)


OOC:

Pair of Guards HP [1d10]=2 [1d10]=9

Phase 10:
NPCs take the "Turn and Flee" option. They turn on Phase 10, and then they run 5 yards on Phase 5.

Phase 7:
Kobi uses the Walk option to move 7 yards (full BMA)

Phase 6:
Kobi uses the Close to Engage option to move 1 more yard (less than half-BMA, optimal for long weapon) and attack.
Kobi Sojutsu [1d20]=9 [1d10+3]=4+3=7
He hits for 7hp damage on the Left Guard.

Eiji has an action - he's not attacking, so he can hold his action down to Phase 1 to step forward and apply healing if needed, or act in self-defense if a foe closes on him. If he doesn't need to do those things, he can Run (6 yards) or Observe the Situation (and move 1 yard)

Phase 5:
Ha takes the Run action, moving double his BMA: 3xz2 = 6 yards, which is not close enough to swing his katana (max of two yards). No point in charging because he can't get there in a single move. I'm also going to rule that means he hasn't activated his Blessing (which is now Blessing x2 per above).

Toshizo takes the Charge option (on page 63, Medium is 1 yard, not 2, so I'll say he ran 9 yards to his optimal range). Because this is a first action for Toshizo, I'm allowing it comes into effect before the movement of the Guards (which is secondary in its effect). He can move to the Guard's current position, but the guard gets to run away on Turn 5 and Toshizo doesn't get to execute the attack portion until Phase 2. By Phase 2, the guard will be 5 yards further away and again out of Toshizo's range. I'll say that Toshizo closed a full 10 yards and will end the turn 5 yards away.

Phase 2:
Taka concludes her casting action (no effect).

Toshizo's blessing was not successful, so cannot be activated, that means BCS 13 -4 AC = BCS 9. Naturally rolled 4 is successful. 6hp damage on the Right Guard. The fleeing guard gets to be 5 yards further by the time Toshizo attacks, and that's out of range for the katana.

[jemmus]

Glad GM caught that the Blessing on Toshizo failed. I just realized that and was going to post.

[ffilz]

Taka will run to try and close. She can do nothing beyond 10 yards away... (her max range for shuriken is also 10 yards...).

Learning a lot about Bushido characters... Ignoring those physical attributes costs quite a bit...

[Marullus]

*bump*
Need actions for Toshizo, Ha, and Eiji.

[jemmus]

Toshizo continues charging the fleeing guard to the right, hoping to get him within reach of his katana. The shoulder flaps of his armor bounce with each heavy loping step.

BAP 5, tied with Ha I think.
Continues charging 10 yds at the ashigaru on the right. If can get within Medium range (2 yds), kenjutsu attack with katana. Started 50 yds from the building, should end the turn 40 yds from it.
Charging: +2 BCS Not sure if this would apply if the target is running directly away. The impact of the charge would be less than against a stationary opponent.
In target's rear facing: +10 BCS
Partially encumbered: -1 BCS
Was tempted to use Flashing Bladework (take up to 3 x char level penalty to BCS for up to 3 On). But RPed young Toshizo not being that confident or show-off in his first every real kenjutsu combat. Besides, the bandit might outrun him and there's no attack.
BCS 12 + 11 = 23 [1d20]=11[1d6+2]=1+2=3

[jmacatty]

Ha also will close until close enoughto swing.

BCS 12+10-AC
[1d20]=6 [1d6+6]=2+6=8
note that Ha did not activate the bless.

[Marullus]

*bump*
Eiji.

[Marullus]

The two guards continue to try to flee towards the house, distracted by keeping Kobi and Toshizo off their heels. Their efforts are in vain, however. Kobi steps up and stabs his yari's blade through the left guard while Toshizo charges forward and slays the right guard with a powerful downward stroke of his katana. Ha is right on their heels, but arrives with both guards slain, while Taka's demure footfalls approach more slowly behind.

The action was swift, the mist beginning to settle back in around you here in the bowl valley. There is no sound or movement yet at the doors of the lonely house.

Eiji wouldn't have impacted the combat, but I'll let him specify his actions and narrate his approach and choices as the battle quickly concludes.

Your group reconvenes at 45 yards from the house.

OOC:

Phase 10:
Q: Are the two guards engaged, or free to run double movement? The rule under "turn and flee" that they disengage and then wait until half their speed to move causes confusion.
A: Because Kobi caught up to them and hit them (After they disengaged but before they then successfully moved), I'm going to say they did get to move, but were re-engaged; meaning they must use Turn and Flee again and not Run. Honestly, if I don't do this, the PCs don't have a chance.

Guards execute Turn and Flee. On Phase 10. They will then move 5 yards on Turn 5.

Phase 7:
Kobi is at 5 yards with a long weapon. He needs to reach 3 yards to attack with -1 or 2 yards to attack at +0 (optimal). He uses the Close to Engage action to move up to half his movement (3 yards, to optimal 2 yard distance) and still attacks. He is attacking with Sojutsu in their rear facing.
Kobi Sojutsu [1d20]=9 [1d10+3]=2+3=5
He kills the left guard.

Phase 6:
Eiji gets an action - assuming Run (6 yards) or Observe the Situation (and move 1 yard). He has two actions to declare, which I'll allow him to do retroactively.

Kobi uses the Hold option to strike the right guard if that guard is going to escape Toshizo.

Phase 5:
Ha runs double his movement (3x2=6) moving him from 54 to 48, putting him three yards from his foes, which is one yard too far to hit with a Katana (medium weapon). No attack.

Toshizo executes a Charge action, moving up to ten yards, but he only needs to run three yards to reach them (since he acts before their Flee action triggers). He moves the minimum of three yards necessary to benefit from his charge and he hits the right guard in his rear facing, slaying him.

(The guards' flee would execute here, but they're both dead. I find the movement in turns to be somewhat illogical, but necessary from a miniature wargaming perspective.)

Phase 2:
Taka runs four yards to 56, still 11 yards away from the end of the fight at the end of the turn.

[jemmus]

I think the way the Turn and Flee and Engagements were handled makes sense. I suppose since Kobi's attack re-engaged the guards before they could Turn, Toshizo's attack wasn't from their rear. So no +10 to BCS. BCS 13 instead of 23, rolled an 11.

Bushido's combat really is like miniatures rules. I got some miniatures to help me visualize and keep track of distance and facings. But they were plastic and too light, I was afraid they'd get jostled over the days it was taking for the combat in the other game. (I have cats). So I went with screenshots of an Excel sheet instead. I'll share it in OOC later, in case anyone has a use for it.

[Marullus]

*bump*

[jemmus]

Toshizo says to Ha, I think we should cover both doors to keep them from coming out of one and attacking us from the side. I'll take the one on the right. He shakes blood from his katana blade steps toward the door.

Toshizo moves forward a yard toward the door to the right.

Give Orders
This Option allows the character to speak in such a way that he
may communicate ideas, orders, comments, etc., to other
characters. When the Gamesmaster is being strict about
communication in Detailed Time Scale, this is the only way for
characters to communicate anything other than one-ortwo-syllable
comments.
A character using this Option is allowed to move up to 1 yard.

[jmacatty]

Ha nods and moves to the other door.

[ffilz]

Taka will continue to approach the nearest door, tanto in left hand, a shuriken in the right.

[Marullus]

The group leaves the two dead guards and their weapons lying on the dirt trail, moving expediently straight down the the house that lies ahead of them in the mist-shrouded valley.

Toshizo says to Ha, I think we should cover both doors to keep them from coming out of one and attacking us from the side. I'll take the one on the right. He shakes blood from his katana blade steps toward the door. Taka will continues with him to approach the nearest door, tanto in left hand, a shuriken in the right.

Ha nods and moves to the other door. Kobi follows him silently, his yari in hand.

The four of them stand for a minute, waiting for movement in the house, but all is still. Eiji then saunters up from the rear with a serene smile, having not run like the others, but walked at a calm pace. "The sunlight dips slowly, like an ewer into this valley. Foot trails disturb the morning dew, from pond to hillside, but none come to the building. It seems only these guards came forth to provide relief to their companions above."

Brigand Building 2.png (44.03 KiB) Viewed 529 times

Rolls:

Eiji Observations [1d20]=10[1d20]=12[1d20]=5

[jmacatty]

Ha moves up, opening the sliding door as quietly as possible, entering the house.

[jemmus]

Toshizo also steps forward and quietly slides the door before him open, katana in his right hand and wakizashi in his left.

[Marullus]

Blessings remaining before sunset:
Ha: 2
Eiji: 1

---

Well, you guys make fog of war interesting! I'll divide the response accordingly.

Toshi, Taka, Eiji:

Toshi reaches forward and slides open the double sliding door which is on the exterior of the house's northeast corner, revealing a modest entry room, about 20' by 20' square. The room is almost dark, the growing light of sunrise spilling through your open doorframe to illuminate the grimy tatami mats and unswept floor. The north wall has windows with closed wooden shutters, a few dozen pairs of worn sandals piled underneath along the wall. An empty rack here could hold the dai-sho of visiting guests, but now has a damp overgarment hanging from it, drying. The room otherwise has no appreciable furnishings. The left (south) side of the opposite wall (west) has a single-panel sliding door, currently closed, that leads further in.

Taka and Eiji are close behind, seeing the same over Toshi's shoulders.

---

Ha, Kobi:

Ha reaches forward and slides open the double sliding door on the south face of the building, looking northward into a large living space. A unwashed corn-chip smell assails you as the morning light spills into what must be a main room, 20' wide and 40' long. Eleven men slumber in bed rolls, grimy tatami mats needing repair on the unswept floors beneath them. Sliding panel doors are immediately to the left on the south end of the west wall, and across the room on the center of the far (north) wall.

At the far end of the room in the northeast corner, two men sits discussing quietly at a small round table with an oil lamp upon it, a few papers between them the focus of their attention. They are dressed in nagagi, poor samurai kimonos, armor pieces being on the ground against the wall. "Hai! Who are you?" they exclaim in alarm, rising from their seats and grasping the katana on their belts.

Actions in Detailed Time, please.

---

Rolls:

Entry Room [1d100]=78 [1d3]=3
Main Room: [3d6]=11[1d3]=2

Edited: Spoilers removed.