Scroll 1 - The Master Craftsman's Tea Vessel

[jemmus]

Jinsei moves down the steep slope at a quick walk, weaving and evading. Fuma stands up on the now-unmoving ground. Minoru stands facing toward the oncoming oni. The oni continues its ponderous charge down the slope toward the Kaida and Minoru, heavy clawed feet thudding on the earth and naginata held in a low guard-attack position. The demon's fanged jaw opens and it grunts in rustic archaic Nipponese in its voice like a hog's, Ningan, ondoriya! ("Don't run, accursed fools!") Fuma quickly draws his han-kyu's string to his ear and looses a watakushi bowl-raker at the demon, but the arrow flies wide. Kaida calls forth the power of the elemental earth to partially restore her body to health, the begins spinning her weapon's chain.

I wish there was some kind of "observe" secondary action... it seems like secondary actions really only apply to weapon actions (allowing 2nd strikes, missile shots, and readying).

Yes, I think that's a good summary of secondary actions.
The part of the mountain the oni is on isn't as steep and doesn't require an ST if running. (The PC's didn't need STs running there either.) From the area below the earthquake to the bottom of the map requires a Speed ST if running straight down the slope directly away from the oni.. If traversing down the slope at an angle, no ST needed.

Turn 3
Phase 13 - Jinsei in effect Walks 8 yds down the step slope, no Speed ST needed.
Phase 10 - Fuma stands (Alter Position primary action).
Phase 10 - Minoru Holds his primary action to any phase down to 5. He'll go before Kaida's primary action in 4 or take no action. (RP-wise, that means that Minoru will never know what Kaida did before taking or losing his action. I don't know if we want to discuss this rule or just leave it as is).
Phase 8 - Jinsei secondary - None, unless he wants to ready a weapon, etc. His movement happened in phase 13.
Phase 5 -
Oni runs 6 yds down the slope.
Fuma shoots han-kyu shot at oni, misses.
Minoru secondary
Jinsei secondary - None, unless he wants to ready a weapon, etc.
Phase 4 - Kaida casts Pure Flesh on self, heals 4 Health.
Phase 2 - Kaida parries.
Phase 1 - Effects phase. No effects this turn.

Range to oni
Jinsei - 24 yds.
Minoru, Kaida - 15 yds.
Fuma - 12 yds, but behind Kaida's mud pit.

Minoru can do his action, or if he spends it observing, we can go to Turn 4.

[ffilz]

Ok Minoru will turn to an angle and run (the facing change to turn downhill at an angle costs 2 movement- before doubling?)

[ffilz]

I thought we had house ruled that you could hold past a secondary action and maintain the held primary action.

[jemmus]

I thought we had house ruled that you could hold past a secondary action and maintain the held primary action.

Oh, I didn't carry it through that far. I thought we were just discussing being about to hold a primary action and use it as a secondary action. If no one objects, we can let char's hold primary actions all the way to phase 2 (to before the phase 1 effects-happen phase). But, NPCs could do the same thing. For example, the oni could hold its action to phase 2, see what all of the PCs do, then instantly run 6 yds at the best target, cast a spell at them, etc. And (taking it to an extreme), everyone could hold their primary action to phase 2, to "see who blinks first." Then all actions would happen simultaneously on phase 2.

[jemmus]

Ok Minoru will turn to an angle and run (the facing change to turn downhill at an angle costs 2 movement- before doubling?)

Let's say that running directly down the slope is at a 0 degrees angle to the slope. If you run at a 60 degrees angle left or right, you can avoid the slipping/stumbling ST. Needs to turn 120 degrees to reach a 60 degrees angle. Each 60 degrees takes 1 point of BMA (1 yd of movement). So with 6 BMA x2 for running, Minoru could turn 120 degrees and run up to 10 yds without having to roll an ST.

[ffilz]

Ok Minoru will turn to an angle and run (the facing change to turn downhill at an angle costs 2 movement- before doubling?)

Let's say that running directly down the slope is at a 0 degrees angle to the slope. If you run at a 60 degrees angle left or right, you can avoid the slipping/stumbling ST. Needs to turn 120 degrees to reach a 60 degrees angle. Each 60 degrees takes 1 point of BMA (1 yd of movement). So with 6 BMA x2 for running, Minoru could turn 120 degrees and run up to 10 yds without having to roll an ST.

Sounds good.

[ffilz]

I thought we had house ruled that you could hold past a secondary action and maintain the held primary action.

Oh, I didn't carry it through that far. I thought we were just discussing being about to hold a primary action and use it as a secondary action. If no one objects, we can let char's hold primary actions all the way to phase 2 (to before the phase 1 effects-happen phase). But, NPCs could do the same thing. For example, the oni could hold its action to phase 2, see what all of the PCs do, then instantly run 6 yds at the best target, cast a spell at them, etc. And (taking it to an extreme), everyone could hold their primary action to phase 2, to "see who blinks first." Then all actions would happen simultaneously on phase 2.

If everyone holds, the combat takes a pause and you restart with normal initiative.

[jemmus]

Positions at the end of Turn 3. Ready for Turn 4 actions.

[ffilz]

Minoru is going to zag, turning 120 degrees to turn back toward the center and continue running.

[Marullus]

Kaida sees the Oni coming and knows she is slowest and must make up time and distance... she alone can be caught by the running Oni if she does not run herself. She considers her arts and then thinks of the immense potency of the Oni's magic (Level 92!!!), deciding that simply getting away is most important.

She turns and sprints down the steep slope, trying to dodge through the stands of bamboo cane and have the straightest possible route. The tough canes buffet her as she runs, leaving her bruised and winded still running downhill.

Speed ST downhill...
[1d20]=16
[1d6]=6 subdual
HP: 1/10, all subdual.

[Rex]

Fuma

Fuma follows Kaida's lead and takes off running after her.

Speed ST [1d20]=10
Subdual damage if needed [1d6]=6

[jemmus]

Really sorry, but please disregard the oni's 8 ft height for determining its Spirit Rank. I don't know how I misses seeing that an oni's height indicates it's rank. Like many things in the rulebooks, the information appears in separate places, and I missed one.

Let's treat mundane falls on the slope like successful Trip attacks (book 1, p. 64). No damage, but the character gets a number of Distractions equal to the effect number of the failed Speed ST. Health ST to avoid losing the next action phase (not the enire next turn). Will ST will negate a number of Distractions equal to the effect number. (Distractions are temporary sensory impediments. When they reach to char's Will figure, she can't act at all).

16 roll - Kaida' ST of 6 = 10 distractions. She can roll a Will ST to negate some. With her Will of 23, she has a ways to go before being unable to act. Kaida ends the turn prone.

Fuma ST succeeds, he ends the turn upright and having traveled a lot of yards.

[Marullus]

Yikes. That change in rules is really pretty brutal. I healed for a turn so I was sure i could survive the subdual damage. Now as a Trip attack, i can double my speed for one turn at the cost of losing an action and then spending a a turn standing up AND being debilitated by distractions.

There's no benefit to the risk of running - double speed and slim chance to pass the save or you lose a turn of speed anyway...

Kaida sprints down the slope, ill-advised in her rush to put distance between her and the Oni. She slips and ger feet go out, smacking her head and losing a moment (lose phase 2 action). She scrabbles to get back to her feet... (Alter Position on phase 4 next turn to stand up).

Health ST (BCS 3) [1d20]=15 Will ST (BCS 9) [1d20]=5
Failed health ST so loses her secondary action. 10 distractions, 4 effect on the will save reduces that to 6 distractions. So, a -6 to all BCS going forward...

[Grognardsw]

Jinsei - Turn 4

Glancing back to confirm his fellow ninjas were following, Jinsei navigated down the slope as quickly as caution allowed. He moved from tree to tree so as to hopefully spoil the oni’s aim.

[jemmus]

Yikes. That change in rules is really pretty brutal. I healed for a turn so I was sure i could survive the subdual damage. Now as a Trip attack, i can double my speed for one turn at the cost of losing an action and then spending a a turn standing up AND being debilitated by distractions.

There's no benefit to the risk of running - double speed and slim chance to pass the save or you lose a turn of speed anyway...

It's not really a change in rules. The 1d10 damage rule for falling was specific to the The Angry Earth spell and the rules for earthquakes. I figured the rules for falling from the Trip attack were the most appropriate here. Sorry that the change came as a surprise to your planning. Please feel free to retcon Turn 3 if you'd like, that's only fair. Nobody can plan an action well if they don't know what rule the GM is going to apply.

Where do you see that each distraction is -1 to BCS? I've never been able to find more than pretty vague rules about them.

They're also the option of running at a 60 degrees angle to slope, as Minoru is doing. That avoids the falling ST.

[Marullus]

Thanks! Sorry for delay.

Kaoda will run at an angle following Minaru.

[jemmus]

Got it bro, thanks for the reply, Take care of yourselves and be careful on the road. See you in a few days

[ffilz]

Thanks! Sorry for delay.

Kaoda will run at an angle following Minaru.

Note that Minoru at the moment is zigging and zagging. He has the movement to spare... Kaida won't...

[Marullus]

Note that Minoru at the moment is zigging and zagging. He has the movement to spare... Kaida won't...

We will learn that lesson, then.

He is several turns behind... interested to see how it evolves. Turn by turn, the game often goes unexpectedly.

[jemmus]

Jinsei quickly strides straight down the steep slope, careful to maintain his footing.
Fuma turns and runs in the direction of Kaida and headlong speed. As he crosses over into the steeper ground down toward the valley floor, the layer of brown fallen leaves on the rich, dark, loose of the mountainside slide away under his foot. There is no way to remain standing. He slips to the earth and slides feetfirst down the slope the length of forearm before stopping.
The Rooster Minoru, heading toward the southeast, zags and runs down the mountain slope toward the southwest, approaching the rest of his nakama. He knows Kawaishi-sensei would be pleased to see that, although being pursued by an oni close to twice as tall as a man, he remembered his training.
The great strides of oni above and behind thud heavily on the earth. As lengthy as they must be, they are slow in comparison to those of the nakama.
Kaida turns from her spell of healing and traverses the mountain's slope at angle.

Without looking, Jinsei, Fuma, Minoru and Kaida all sense that their quick flight has put distance between them and the demon on the mountain. Some having been dropped to the earth, even with moving helter-skelter each their own way, and taking bowshots at it, they have outstripped the monstrous thing for a dozen long heartbeats now. The question in each mind is: Does the oni from Jigoku hell itself have some unknown magic to throw at them? From behind and above. Has the archaic thing been on this mountain so long that it's earth and rock themselves obey it?

As if in answer, the demon beast roars and bellows out in its speech, which is still like that of a combination of the voices of a big young man and a hog, speaking in a country dialect as old as the nakama's grandmothers' mothers: Nigurun? Nigire! Kowaigari hito! Kao mo mitan! Mo oboita! Yawarakai na shiri mo momo mo hara mo mitan! Mo shiterun! Sono hito mura wa sonna yowai to shiteru! ["You're running? Run! Scared humans! I've already seen your faces! I already remember them! And I've seen your tender butts, thighs, and bellies! I already know! I know that the humans of that village are so weak!"] There's the sound of a great long-nailed human or monkey-shaped foot stamping onto the damp earth of the mountainside and the sound of a blade violently sheering through wood, followed by the sound of the heavy end of a branch hitting the earth, and the many branches and and leaves swishing.



The four young graduates of the school reach the bottom of the slope and gather in a concealed place above the water flowing along the mountain's valley stream.