Dwarf Prince vs. Mounted Knight: Fight!

[Yagathai]

Just to get some bookkeeping out of the way: Are you wearing full armor? What is your default hit location going to be? What will you be using for initial positioning?

"Darling? There's a knight at the front door. He says that he wants to challenge you. To a duel, I mean."

"Eh? Hm? What?" Lord Arben Argonsson snorted and sputtered and sat up with a start. "But I'm taking a bath! Bloody awful timing, eh?"

"I know, dear," his wife said. "That's why Bannock had me come and tell you. Wouldn't do to have him see you like this, would it?"

"I suppose not, darling, I suppose not," Arben said. He hopped out of the small bronze tub with surprising grace and began to drip all over the bath-room floor. "Did the human say what he wanted?"

"He says that you killed his son or brother or uncle or something in the war. One of those revenge things, I suppose," his wife replied. She looked fairly unworried.

"Oh, damn and blast. That was ten years ago! Do humans live that long?" Arben wrapped his beard in a rough grey towel and wrung it out as best he could.

"I think they do, dear."

"Bloody monkeys. Tell him I'll be out as soon as my beard is dry. And send in my armor, would you darling?" Arben sighed. "I suppose the water was getting cold anyway."

[TimP]

Just to get some bookkeeping out of the way: Are you wearing full armor? What is your default hit location going to be? What will you be using for initial positioning?

Full Armor & Shield, My chest, Lance.

[Yagathai]

OK. That means you get speed bonus, weapon length (unless I decide to throw my axe, which I don't), but your starting reflexes are 3 so I get the reflexes die. So you're rolling... 9D for initial positioning with your mount, and I'm rolling 6D. Sound good?

[TimP]

Yes sir. A bit of color and IP coming up...

[TimP]

The challenge
Sir Goddard sat atop his black courser, sitting easy in the saddle as the spirited animal pawed and pranced at the earth. The lump in his throat...no, it was not fear, but anticipation. Anticipation at getting revenge on the infamous dwarf prince for the death of Goddard's father, and if God saw fit to give him the victory this day, the gaining of a fortune.

Ah! The dwarf stepped from his stoney home, mithril armor gleaming in the long rays of the setting sun. Goddard cried out, "Lord Arben Argosson! You did slay my beloved father on the fields of Braenoch ten years ago, offering him neither quarter or ransom. Since that day you have been a walking dead man, though you have not known it until now. I will have justice for the wrong you have done me and mine. I will have my revenge, sir! "

Initial positioning:2, 2, 1, 4, 5, 5, 4, 1, 5 (5s)

[Yagathai]

Initial Positioning:

Roll 1: 4, 4, 3, 3, 4, 2 = 3 successes

So where do we start?

"Point of order! I'm not any sort of Man!" Arben widened his stance and dug in with his toes.

[TimP]

I should have been rolling 8d: Here's my re-roll 1, 1, 6, 6, 2, 4, 5, 3 (4s)

Same end result. We'll start at optimal for my lance.

[Yagathai]

Exchange 1

V1 A1 Close, Avoid
V1 A2 Take Defensive Stance / Block

V2 A1 Close, Avoid
V2 A2 Beat & Bind

V3 A1 Close, Avoid

[TimP]

Exchange 1, Volley 1: Close 3, 6, 3, 2, 2, 3, 2, 4 (2s!)
Action 1 Strike/Block (ForKing Axe, since I'm fighting an axe-fighter) 6/4
Block: 5, 1, 4, 1 (2s), Strike: 4, 4, 3, 2, 1, 5
The strike is Ob 3 for closing while mounted. so....that's a b5 wound, all else being equal. edit: scratch that. It's a total miss, even not taking into account whatever you do.


Volley 2:
Withdraw
Block

Volley 3:
Charge
(Charge)

[Yagathai]

Volley 1 Positioning: Close
Roll 1: 2, 2, 1, 4, 1, 6 = 2s. Nobody closes! Crap!

V1 A1 Avoid:
Roll 1: 4, 1, 3, 4, 3 = 2s. You miss! And now I'm in defensive stance.


His foe cantered towards him, and Arben too, strode forward into the fray. The mounted knight stabbed forward with his lance just as the Dwarf lord came into range, but Arben dodged fluidly, spun, and took a martial and exotic-looking stance with shield high and axe low and behind him.

V1 A1 Close, Avoid
V1 A2 Take Defensive Stance / Block

[Yagathai]

Volley 2 Positioning: Close

Roll 1: 5, 4, 6, 4, 3, 3 = 4 successes on the close.

Block goes off against the Avoid, nothing happens.

V2 A1 Close, Avoid

[TimP]

E1, V2
Withdraw 4, 3, 2, 6, 5, 5, 3, 4 (5s)
Action 1: Block 2, 1, 3, 5, 2, 2, 4, 1, 5 (3s)

[TimP]

So, I'm at lunging now, correct?

[Yagathai]

So we're at Lunging for your Lance, which is Outside for my Axe. Now the question is, can I still Beat & Bind? You don't have to be in range for that to work, just your weapon, and Lunging is still technically in range of me.

[TimP]

Yeah, I don't know why Beat and Bind wouldn't work.

[Yagathai]

OK then. 6 for Axe plus 1 ForK for Boxing = 7D

Beat & Bind:

Roll 1: 6, 3, 1, 3, 3, 4, 6 = 3 successes, but I have a +2 Ob for Closing and Avoiding, so 1 net success, and your get you Lance skill as ND.

V2 A2 Beat & Bind

[TimP]

Volley 3
Charge (charge)
Riding vs. Horse's Will (FoRK from Lance) 5, 3, 3, 3, 3, 6, 1 (2s!) That's an Ob3 check, due to the riding penalty,I guess. So....my horse balks. I assume that means I Stand and Drool (kick at my horse's flanks).

[TimP]

Lance Natural Defenses v3/a1(assuming I get them) 5, 1, 4, 6, 4 (3s)
Lance Natural Defenses v3/a2: 2, 3, 4, 2, 6 (2s)

edit: Imagine those say v2/a1 and v2/a2

[Yagathai]

OK, so your charge doesn't go off, and my Avoid is for naught. Which means I get my positioning for free, essentially, since your horse is just standing there, yes?

Roll 1: 3, 3, 5, 6, 5, 5 = 4 successes. Great. When I don't need the extra successes...

Which means we're now both at Optimal, you with the lance and me with the axe.

Arben wheeled and ducked again, anticipating a strike from his foe, but instead his foe just... sat there, his horse whinnying and stomping its feet. Beastly animals. Arben had never trusted them. He advanced cautiously.

[TimP]

Ok, sounds good to me. On to Exchange 2.

[TimP]

Exchange 2
Volley 1
Withdraw
Set



Volley 2
Lanced Charge (aka Drool)

Volley 3
Withdraw
Drop Lance

[Yagathai]

Exchange 2

V1 A1: Maintain, Take Aggressive Stance
V1 A2: Strike!

V2 A1: Maintain, Set
V2 A2: Great Strike

V2 A1: Close, Strike

[TimP]

Hang on, Yag. I want to figure out whether or not I'm supposed to be Hesitating and making further Riding checks and what-not, because I'm really confused. If I AM Hesitating, I want to rescript my exchange 2.

[TimP]

Ok, here's my positioning for E2/V1
Withdraw: 3, 6, 2, 1, 3, 1, 3, 1 (1s)

fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck. etc.

[Yagathai]

I'm going to use my stance dice to position, then. Should give me 8D.

Positioning: Maintain

Roll 1: 3, 1, 4, 4, 3, 5, 2, 2 = 3 measly successes.

Avoid goes off against Set, so nothing happens there.

This is my Strike roll, should you fail to Withdraw (6D Axe + 1D Boxing + 1D dwarf die +2D Aggressive stance)

Roll 1: 1, 5, 6, 1, 2, 4, 3, 3, 5, 4 = 5 successes. Superb hit!

Be advised, I'm moving the hit to your mount if you don't beat my positioning.

V1 A1: Maintain, Take Aggressive Stance
V1 A2: Strike!

ETA: Oh, we crossposted. In that case, yeah, I'm definitely moving the strike to your mount (see second instinct). Horsie takes a B14.

ETA2: Though in the interests of fairness... I did use my Defensive Stance dice to position with, then shifted to Aggressive Stance, and didn't take any penalties for having been in Defensive Stance at the beginning of the volley. It's in the rules as written, but it doesn't sit easy with me. We could houserule that if I use the Defensive Stance dice at the beginning of the volley, I suffer the penalty to aggressive actions until the volley is over?

[TimP]

You can use your stance dice for positioning AND your attack? I think we need a re-roll.

[Yagathai]

Yeah, that's what I was saying (see my edit to previous post). I was in Defensive Stance at the top of the volley, used the dice, then by the second action of the volley I was in Aggressive Stance. So I used the Defensive Stance dice to position with, and the Aggressive Stance dice to strike with. I don't really know how to resolve that.

Say I had scripted Neutral Stance instead of Aggressive Stance -- should I have taken the strike without penalty or bonus?

Were I GMing that circumstance, I'd say that I still take the Defensive Stance penalty to my strike. I'm indecisive about the Aggressive Stance bonus dice, but leaning towards letting them stay. I did spend an action to take the stance, after all, and I should get some sort of bonus for that.

[TimP]

hmmmm....

I forgot you were in defensive stance before. You paid the action to change stances, go for it!!

Have fun narrating whinnying death! Let me do my Riding stuff and you can have fun narrating tumbling knights, too. ;)

edit. We keep cross-posting. I don't think you should suffer any penalties. You were in defensive stance to start, you positioned, then you spent the action to go aggressive. That's a risky move! In other circumstances you would have been wide open for A1.

[TimP]

Ok. How do we handle the mount going down. Do we do some version of the 'Unhorse Him' rules, or perhaps the 'Rolling Rules'?

The Rolling Rules with the 'Thrown Against the Wall' stuff makes more sense, to me.

[TimP]

Assuming we're going with the Rolling option: 3, 4, 2, 5, 5, 3
3 successes against Ob4. grrrrr!!!

Edit: What's the Prince's front yard like, Yagathai? Stony? Soft Earth? Hard Packed Earth? Or nice cushy swampy moss?

[Yagathai]

OK then.

As Arben approached the stationary rider, it seemed as if the horse had finally decided to obey. The knight spurred his mount directly in the path of the cautious Dwarf, as if to run through him! It was just the opening that Arben had been looking for.

Just as it looked like the warhorse was going to run him over, the Dwarf lord darted out of the way to one side, then unexpectedly dropped into a graceful roll. He dived under the animal's belly and came up again on the other side of the beast with practiced aplomb, narrowly avoiding getting trampled by the animal's churning back hooves. Instead, the animal's hooves caught on something much less pleasant -- its own entrails, which spilled out of the yawning gash that Arben had cut across its belly.

"Bloody awful beasts," Arben muttered to himself as he waited to see which way horse and rider would fall. "Now I need a bath again."

[Yagathai]

It's a Dwarven Hold. I doubt very much it's soft, springy moss.

As tempting as it is for me to say sharp, spiky rocks, with the odd pool of molten magma, let's split the difference and call it packed earth.

[TimP]

You're a very fair man.
Horse's Power (add2, VA1):1, 3, 1, 5, 5, 3, 3 against Ob1
That's an Incidental hit: b4 wound
Except I get 1, 6, 5, 3, 6, 5 for my armor roll (I'm taking it on the chest)

My chest armor is now 5d, but at least I don't take any damage! I'm on my ass, and I think I need to make a Steel Check.

Edit
And.......5, 6, 5, 3, 5, 5 for the Steel Check. Fearless won't help with this, so I'll roll my open-ended die.

Great. I get a 1 for a total of 5 successes.

I'm hesitating for my next action.

Edit the 2nd I'll Lie and Drool

"Sik, sik, Brave Face, Come now." Goddard finally was able to turn the dark stallion's head to sprint out of range of the oncoming Dwarf, but then suddenly Brave Face was going down, screaming and eyes rolling, as the stench of hot blood and shit filled the air. Goddard desperately tried to free himself of the horse and land on his feet, but his ankle was caught in the traces of the saddle and he crashed down hard into the well-tamped earth. He lay on his back, tongue thick in his mouth, as the sound of the abbey's bells rang in his ears.

[Yagathai]

OK. Then let's get the next couple of exchanges out of the way:

My Great Strike
Roll 1: 3, 3, 2, 3, 5, 2, 1, 1, 6, 6 = 3 successes. Spending 1 success to move from your chest to your legs = a B8 Mark.

EDIT: So it follows that I'm taking the +1 VA from the Great Strike.

V2 A1 Maintain, Set
V2 A2 Great Strike

[TimP]

V2, A1 Drooool
Armor Check for the legs: 3, 5, 6, 6, 4! Four Successes! That meets the Ob, I believe.

[TimP]

Volley 3
Withdraw 4, 4, 4, 1 (3s)
Drop Lance

A resounding clang against his leg armor snapped Goddard out of his haze. He let go of his useless lance and scrambled backwards, like some sort of desperate crab.

[Yagathai]

Volley 3 Positioning: Close

Roll 1: 1, 5, 1, 4, 1, 3, 2 = 2 s. Looks like we're On the Inside.

Strike: Roll 1: 5, 5, 5, 1, 1, 6, 4, 4, 3, 1 = 6 successes. With the +3 Ob penalty to use the Axe on the Inside, that leaves me with a Mark hit to your chest.

V3 A1: Close, Strike

[TimP]

My Armor Check: 4, 3, 1, 2, 2

Chest is now down to 4 dice, but your strike is thwarted. I'll be presenting my arms, now.

editWoah woah woah. stupid me. That's a hit!

[Yagathai]

B8 Mark

With confidence, Arben raises his axe high and brings it down onto his grounded foe. The first stroke doesn't seem to make it through the human's thick greaves, so Arben gets a little closer. The second blow bites deep into his foe's chest plate and into something soft and crunchy underneath.

[TimP]

Ok, So I take a B8 wound to the chest. That's a Midi, for me, which puts me down 2d.

Results of the Steel check (-2d): 2, 3, 1, 3

THAT sucks. I'm hesitating for 3 Actions. The whole upcoming exchange! I'd say my knight's ass is thoroughly whipped, therefore he'll Beg for Mercy.

Yield! Yield! Lay off, I yield!" Goddard screamed out as the dwarf's axe crushed through his breastplate and drove into his chest, breaking ribs and flensing flesh from bone. "Mercy, sir!" he sputtered out, as blood frothed upon his lips.

[Yagathai]

Wise choice.

Arben sighed. "You know, if your father had had half the sense that you do..." he said as he yanked his axe out of his fallen foe. "Fine, fine. Quarter granted. Your arms and armor are forfeit and you'll be ransomed at the usual price. You think you monkeys would have learned by now, eh? Eh?"

The knight gurgled and cried.

"Bannock, one for the tower and one for the stewpot," Arben called as he turned and walked away, leaving the fallen knight bleeding in the dust. His lieutenant stood, grim-faced and arms-crossed, as ardents scurried to do their master's bidding. "Hopefully you can figure out which goes where on your own, hm? And have them draw me another bath. Bloody messy business, killing cavalry."

[TimP]

Hah! Nice narrative.