The "merchants" laugh and mock you. "Tainted ones? Oh no! How dangerous! Drop your burdens and run, we'll scare them away for you!"
They approach a few steps and you see that they too have the same milky eyes and small rashes on their skin.
Actions?
Re: On the Road: Aiko, Koga, Osaru
Posted: Fri Dec 28, 2018 10:03 am
by Captain Kinkajou
Aiko
The 'merchant's' response to Osaru only confirms what Aiko's instincts had already told her. Their appearance up ahead was no coincidence.
"It's a trap," she hisses to the others in a low whisper. "They intend to murder us."
Then louder to the 'merchants' and pretending to be grateful and unaware of their true nature, "Oh thank you". To sell her deception, she glances behind her at the five and then hurries closer to the three, as though seeking their protection. Then suddenly, she draws her blades and attacks them. She hopes her play acting and the speed of her attack will give her some slight advantage. Maybe they can overwhelm the three before the five can join the fray. She knows it isn't a great plan but it is her nature to act and so she is. Their options are limited.
Re: On the Road: Aiko, Koga, Osaru
Posted: Fri Dec 28, 2018 11:37 am
by GreyWolfVT
Osaru draws his weapon and readies for battle "Indeed that is as I was fearing."
Re: On the Road: Aiko, Koga, Osaru
Posted: Fri Dec 28, 2018 10:52 pm
by Starbeard
Skirmish time!
Mirumoto Aiko feigns fear and rushes to the safety of the merchants in front of you, while the others take the opportunity to move forward into combat range during her distraction. It seems the merchants are momentarily disabled by the maiden's helplessness, having not expected this reaction at all. And, at the moment she enters within range, Aiko draws her blade and attacks, Osaru charging in behind her.
Aiko makes a contested Awareness+Sincerity to bluff the merchant:
Merchant's Awa+Sincerity (3k3)* vs Awareness x5 (TN15): *This should be 4k3, but one effect of the Shadowlands Taint is that it lowers your social rolls by 1 die per Shadowlands Rank. That means the cat is out of the bag: this guy has 1 Rank in the Shadowlands trait. [1d10] = 5, [1d10] = 2, [1d10] = 2
(5+2+2 = 9, failure)
Aiko clearly wins.
Aiko is in melee with the merchants, and the rest are 20 yards away (i.e., you can make a combat move and still attack or take an action this round).
Everyone: please make an Initiative roll (1k1 and add your WaterAir Rank). Aiko gets +1k1 to her initiative role for her ruse.
Aiko and Osaru: please make your attack rolls (Agility + Kenjutsu, listed at the bottom of the post), declaring whether you are making any raises or spending a Void Point for +1k1, and also make a damage roll (Weapon DR + Strength, also listed at the bottom), also declaring Void Points and/or adding +1k0 per raise to the attack. None of your opponents are wearing armor, so the TN will be their Reflexes x 5, which is between TN10 and TN20 for most characters.
Koga: please declare your action for the round, along with any rolls.
Aiko suddenly draws her blades, darts in and launches an attack on the corrupted 'merchants'.
General note: I assumed I healed 2 of the 4 wounds I received sparring with Harada through resting overnight at the inn, which would put me on 2 wounds and in wound level zero but I noticed I was still marked as -1 in the status block. If I am still at -1, I'd have to roll one less dice on all the rolls below, which would change things somewhat.
Final note: Looking back on the above, if you do feel I should be rolling one less dice, I don't think it requires too much unpicking. If I drop the last dice I rolled each time, then I think it would mean:
Initiative drops from 2k2 to 1k1 = 6+1 (or +3)
Kenjutsu drops from 6k3 to 5k3 = 13+8+8 = 29
Damage drops from 6k3 to 5k3 = 18+7+5 = 30
Re: On the Road: Aiko, Koga, Osaru
Posted: Mon Dec 31, 2018 6:56 pm
by Starbeard
Captain Kinkajou wrote:Aiko
General note: I assumed I healed 2 of the 4 wounds I received sparring with Harada through resting overnight at the inn, which would put me on 2 wounds and in wound level zero but I noticed I was still marked as -1 in the status block. If I am still at -1, I'd have to roll one less dice on all the rolls below, which would change things somewhat.
You're right, I missed updating that. Sorry! I've fixed it now: you healed 2 points overnight (equal to your Stamina trait), which puts you at 0;2.
Note: I've added my Water rank as you said but shouldn't it be Air for initiative? In which case my total would be 12 rather than 10.
That's typo #2. It is Air Rank, I'm not sure why I typed Water. The book rule is actually 1d10+Reflexes, but I like the house rule of making it 1d10+Air, since that balances reflexes and awareness. Anyway, typo fixed, thanks.
I see that LtTibbles hasn't logged on since October, so I'll assume he's gone AWOL for now and NPC Koga.
Re: On the Road: Aiko, Koga, Osaru
Posted: Mon Dec 31, 2018 8:53 pm
by Starbeard
Oops! Another GM Mistake!: It just occurred to me that you all have your weapons sheathed. It takes one round to draw and ready your weapon; if you want to attack this round, you have to use the Iaijutsu skill.
It doesn't change anything here, since Osaru's Agility+Kenjutsu and Reflexes+Iaijutsu are exactly the same, and while Aiko's rolls are different (Agi+Ken is 6k3, Ref+Iai is 5k4), if we use her rolls then the 5k4 is actually better than what she had before. It does mean that both Koga's and Harada's attacks missed when they would have hit before.
I'm updating the PC notes at the bottom of GM posts, so that the first score is your 'draw and attack' skill, and the second is your 'weapon ready' attack skill.
As Aiko and Osaru draw their blades, Mirumoto Koga and Assistant Harada follow up and charge into the Corrupted brigands with cries of heroism!
The brigands respond immediately, one drawing a katana from beneath his cloak while another quickly unfurls a scroll, ready to cast from its elemental mysteries. The brigand with the iron kanabo heaves it up over his head, aiming to crush Aiko straight into the soil.
The party is too quick for the brigands.
Aiko draws her two blades and severs the kanabo brigand's hand right off, dropping him to the ground with a scream (random hit location to the hand, 30 damage is his Earth x 5, enough to destroy it; taken to 'Down' wound rank).
Koga and Harada both rush after the revealed shugenja, but he manages to stay out of their kill-zones as Air is conjured up around him. Suddenly there is a gust of wind and a spirit forms next to the shugenja, blue and troll-like with brilliant white hair billowing around his face. The spirit dances through the wind toward Assistant Harada and reaches out, drawing the Air out of his body and lulling him into a deep sleep.
(Harada Earth roll vs shugenja's Air x 5): [1d10] = 4, [1d10] = 1 (failed, Harada falls asleep)
The five Tainted brigands coming up from behind halt only momentarily as their comrades are cut down so easily. The Corruption of the Shadowlands is strong, however, and the smell of blood sends them into a drunken rage for vengeance! They draw their weapons—all katanas, these must be a band of disreputable ronin in disguise—and rush toward you, cursing your names and your families!
(Their morale roll will effectively be 3k3 vs TN15, with success meaning they go into a frenzy:[1d10] = 8, [1d10] = 5, [1d10] = 5 — they will charge and attack)
The five tainted ronin are 30 yards away. You can move 20 yards and take an action, or run 40 yards and take no action. Two of the ronin next to you are wounded to Down or worse, and can't take any actions. The shugenja ronin is still unharmed and active.
Shugenja action: (1-2 maintains concentration and stays in melee;
3-8 maintains concentration and moves away;
9-10 breaks concentration and attacks/defends): [1d10] = 8 Shugenja initiative (full move) (+3):[1d10] = 3
The shugenja, unable to take further action without breaking the concentration of his spell, turns to flee (40 yards down the road). He ducks below Aiko’s strike, but catches Osaru’s blade right under the shoulder, severing tendons and major blood vessels!
The shugenja immediately falls unconscious and loses control of the spirit feeding on Harada's inner Air. Koga stoops down and jostles Harada violently as the kami speeds away, disappearing back into the spirit world. "Master Lion! Wake up!" the young magistrate comes to immediately, as though he were never asleep. "What happened? Why am I on the ground?!" The Lion grabs his sword and starts to stand up.
Behind you, the five tainted ronin continue to charge forward, heedless of danger, screaming deathly battle cries. Their gleaming swords are held high overhead in an aggressive attacking position!
(The five ronin made full moves into contact, so cannot attack until next turn. They all look to be making Full Attacks, which give +2k0 to their attack, but their TN to be hit is reduced to TN5).
FYI, here's a review of the basic combat actions available:
Move: move 40 yards, no other action.
Attack: move up to 20 yards and attack.
Full Attack: move up to 20 yards and attack with +2k0. Your TN To Be Hit is TN5 for the whole round.
Full Defense: move up to 20 yards, no other action. Roll dice equal to your Defense Rank, keeping one of them and adding that to your TN To Be Hit for the round. Also, opponents who attack you must drop all dice that roll less than your Reflexes+Defense.*
*This is actually a house rule. The rulebook says opponents drop all low dice, and the GM Guide revises this so that you roll Defense & add one die to your TN. I think I'd like to try it with both combined, since they both have problems (the original rule usually seems pointless, since for most characters the dice rolls that would actually be kept in the attack wouldn't be affected by the Full Defense, and in the revised rule characters without ranks in Defense don't get any benefit from taking Full Defense).
Re: On the Road: Aiko, Koga, Osaru
Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2019 9:16 pm
by Captain Kinkajou
Aiko
Aiko calmly turns towards the five charging tainted Ronin and holds her sword ready. She waits her moment. As soon as one of them comes close enough, she makes her strike.
Osaru turns facing the charging enemies and takes up a defensive stance preparing to strike once they are in range. Hand on sword hilt ready to strike.
Koga stands beside his sister and barely manages to slash underneath a charging ronin's guard. The wound cuts deep, dropping the ronin to the ground.
Harada wastes no time in finding out what happened. He draws upon his iaijutsu training to make a strike as he stands up, channeling his Void into the cut. The ronin charging into him brings his blade down at the same time, and the two meet in a kharmic strike—both blades cut through the opponent and Harada falls to the ground next to his opponent! The ronin clutches his wounded side while Harada lies dead, forearm severed and belly gored out.
(Harada takes 36 hits and is killed outright)
Two more ronin are right behind fall upon Harada's lifeless body with mindless bloodlust, hacking away like crazed madmen.
Osaru finds a free opponent and makes a nasty cut to the side, but the corrupted brigand grits through the pain and ricochets his katana underneath Osaru’s guard! The edge of his blade sinks deeply into Osaru’s leg, causing him to lose balance and fall to the ground!
(Osaru takes 9 hits, and is down to the -2 Wound Rank: all rolls are now -2k0)
Aiko turns calmly but is surprised to find that the Tainted ronin are already upon you. With almost no effort at all she skewers the ronin attacking Koga, simply by letting him impale himself upon her blade. As he sinks up to the hilt she sees the glassy white emptiness in his eyes, and the foul decay on his breath. Moments later he slips from her sword and falls to the ground.
You are now fully mixed in melee. Harada has been killed, and Osaru is at Wound Rank -2 (-2k0 to actions). The status of your enemies is:
Aiko sees Harada go down and her face flushes in dismay and fury. She's pretty sure the magistrate is dead. She spins nimbly away from the dying tainted Ronin at her feet and angrily brings her katana down in a swift strike against one of the two uninjured tainted goring Harada.
"I will kill every last one of you, vermin!" she spits at them determinedly.
Aiko flicks her wakizashi to the side, knocking the butchering ronin's sword back to give her room for a belly cut with her katana. The sword sinks through his robe, drawing blood from between ribs! (Ronin B takes 15 hits and is now at -3 Wound Rank.)
Osaru's wounds must be enticing the opponents to him. Three of the ronin gang up on him, circling around in the hopes of picking him off quickly. One of the previously wounded ronin attempts to feint under his guard but misses—and as he steps to the side, Koga spins around reflexively to chop at him, giving a bloodcurdling shout as his enemy is slain upon his sword!
Osaru easily deflects another wounded ronin's weak attack. His katana sings as it slides along the enemy's blade, forcing its way past his guard. Osaru's katana bites into the ronin's gut, spilling his bowels in one clean motion! With a terrible scream the ronin drops his sword and clutches at his belly, knowing that the end has come.
Two ronin remain, one wounded and one unharmed. The unharmed ronin, a long-moustached man whose wild eyes and chilling laugh cut to the bone, sees Koga preoccupied elsewhere and leaps in for the kill! Koga brings up both of his swords to defend, but the maniacal ronin only cackles and leaps to the side, leaving Koga exposed! His sword goes for Koga's neck, but the Dragon samurai ducks at the last moment and takes a terrible strike to the head! He falls to his knees and drops his swords (Koga takes 25 hits, taking him to the "Out" Wound Rank. His wound will also leave a disfiguring scar to the head/face.)
The crazed ronin turns to find his next victim, speaking in tongues as though he were possessed by a demon.
The wounded ronin has more sense, and attempts to flee into the woods while he still has his life.
Actions?
Combat rolls…
11: Aiko's attack wrote:The tainted ronin is defending normally, but a 38 still hits.
ooc: Hopefully obviously, I went for the emotional reaction for Aiko rather than perhaps the most tactically sound choice. I think not going Full Attack would have been more prudent but less in keeping with the character and situation. Hopefully it's worked out okay.