Door H

Continued from Dire Wolf Battle

The DM: I have Lexent in 2228 and Vafrandir in 2127. I need to know where Marcule and Pandred are. Assume the movements you made with the chest have been done. I'm judging the chest has been moved off the map.

Pandred: I said I was on the door, so 2027 sounds right.

Lexent Alexis, would you object to me placing links to 'previous' pages (and 'next' ones where they don't exist) throughout the campaign?

The DM: Nope. I'm just lazy.

The DM: I’ll put Marcule in 2128. Action?

Pandred: I open H.

The DM: Immediately, the party hears the snap and the rattle of a hundred bone joints snapping into action. The image says it all. Apparently, they’ve been activated by the movement of the door.

The line of black dots are columns separating an anti-chamber from the barracks beyond. On first glance, you count seven skeletons. There are more.

Pandred: Door shut, door shut!

The DM: The door is shut, but let me remind you, these doors don’t latch and they open into the hall; not that secure.

Lexent So they just rest against the frames?

Vafrandir: Pandred, back up and let them come to us, if they will.

Pandred: My thought exactly. Trying to configure us to maximize our frontage and minimize theirs. Alexis, how do those half-hexes work? Can they be fought from/moved through? Is there a penalty?

P: Regardless I step into 2028.

The DM: Your actual size in the hex is exaggerated, to give the impression of the space you control. In actual size, you’re about 2 ft. in diameter, with clothes and armour and whatnot. The hex being 5 ft. in diameter, you can technically fight in a corner hex. However, an open door in the same hex is a -2 penalty, because your weapon’s swing will get hampered by the door’s presence.

P: I was thinking more in line with what would be 1927 and similar, where the space depicted is pretty much exactly 2 feet or so.

The DM: I’ll accept 1927.

Lexent Which probably means they could also move to and fight from such hexes.

The DM: As an afterthought, however, I don't believe 1927 can attack 1926; too slim a connection.

Pandred: I want to stay in 2028, I just wanted to know if that row of hexes was something I should be aware of for the skeletons.

The DM: It is available to them.

Lexent I move to 2126.

The DM: Because of the distance between you, there’s no initiative to roll yet. I will roll initiative when the [first melee contact] occurs.

Lexent Then I suppose we must wait for that to occur. I wait for the door to open.

The DM: Marcule is most likely holding his ground here; I’m going to move the skeletons and set up the next image. Pandred, you opened the door; give me an initiative roll: d6.

Pandred: 4.

Round 1

The DM: I roll a 1 for initiative. The first goblin skeleton expends an AP getting the door open, entering 2026, where the door will hamper it. The second reaches 2027. The rest are flowing in behind. Because of their weight, there’s no danger of their overbearing the party. The party can attack.

The DM: Incidentally, the skeletons do not have weapons.

Lexent I attack the skeleton in 2026. Attack: 3. Damage: 4.

Marcule: I back up one.

The DM: Don’t roll damage unless you hit AC 7. Marcule, 2229.

The DM: A quick word about skeleton speed; I envision my skeletons working more like Jason and the Argonauts 1963 film; in other words, fast. In the film, they approach slowly, but it’s clear they can move very quickly when they want to (starting 1:59, when they run forward).

Vafrandir: I attack the skeleton in 2027. 20 raw, 23 to hit, 15 on the follow-up critical; 6 raw, 8 dmg, 16 total, cau-8. Yes, I rolled max on both dice. Think I just used up all my luck.

The DM: That’s a smashed skeleton. Do you want to give ground or move forward?

Vafrandir: Hold ground.

Pandred: I hold my swing for the next skeleton to step up.

Skeleton Round 1

The DM: Here’s the bad news: the skeletons are willing to attack two per hex. They’re smaller than normal humans and they are not individuals, being magically motivated. So, in the way that more than one rat can fight from the same hex, the goblin skeletons can fight two per hex. Just one more fun thing; think of it as a special ability. If they were human sized, they wouldn’t be able to do it. Can’t get two of them in a partial hex – and additionally, they can’t attack two enemies side by side. Thus, one will attack Pandred and the other will attack Lexent.

2026 throws the door closed, getting it out of it’s hex and attacks the cleric. It rolls a 6 against Lexent, missing.

2027a also attacks Lexent, rolling a 13 and hitting. It causes 4 damage (take-4). This stuns, knocking Lexent back into 2226; the skeleton advances in 2126. I’ll say the other doesn’t, because it attacked first and expended AP closing the door. Another skeleton will roll into 2027.

Lexent How many AP does that expend? I don't see it on the chart and may need to do so next turn.

2028b attacks Pandred, rolling a 1, falling off-balance.

Round 2

Lexent is stunned, but the other members of the party can act.

Pandred Bop for 7+2 hitting AC 8, damage is 2+3, 5, reduced to 2.

The DM: Miss.

Vafrandir: I attack the skeleton in 2126. 4 raw, 7 to hit. Sorry, Lexent!

The DM: We simply have to give some time to Marcule. You can't afford to have everyone in.

Lexent I'm most concerned with the hole in our line between Vafrandir and myself.

Marcule: Move to 2227. 16 hit 8 damage.

The DM: Okay, that’s halved for edged weapon (cau-4), but it stuns, kicking the skeleton into 2125. Marcule, do you want to move into 2126? You have the move, but you are setting yourself up for being attacked twice.

Marcule: I move to 2126.

Skeleton Round 2

the previous image shows a stairway on the left that isn’t there. That’s flotsam that must have gotten accidentally copied

2027 will move into 1927 and attack Pandred, missing with a 4. There isn’t enough room for it to move past and into 1928.

1926 will move into 2027 and attack Pandred, missing with a 9.

Both 2026 and 2027a will attack Marcule; they both miss, with a 9 and an 11. Marcule’s dexterity saves him from that second attack.

That’s the most they can do for now. I trust the players can follow the complexity of these movements and attacks. Please ask questions if something isn’t clear. This is vastly easier to depict if you’re watching me move the creatures around at a game table.

Round 3

No one is stunned and everyone can act. Lexent, there isn’t enough room for you to attack 2125. But ... Lexent, please read [the first paragraph of this old wiki page] very carefully.

Marcule: Lexent, feel free to use me as a sheild if it will let you get some spells off.

Pandred]: Swing on 1927. 7+2 whiffs at AC 8. Damage reduced to 2.