GM Tarondor's The Queen of Shadows - The One Ring

Game Master Tarondor

There is no hesitation in Berethor. He follows Morwenn, but is running full tilt.

A mile? Hm. Would an Athletics roll be appropriate here? I imagine Lothac would make his way as hastily up the hill as he could. If he had time, he might try to get into a better position afterwards via Stealth or Battle, but I doubt there'll be much time for maneuvering. It sounds like lives are being lost.

Each of you may make a roll appropriate to the situation. Athletics does seem appropriate to me for those trying to move swiftly uphill.

[dice=Awareness To Find Something to Ride]2d6+1d12

Is this an appropriate roll?

Awareness is not the most appropriate skill for finding a horse, as that is used to measure passive perception. If you're looking to "borrow" a mount, Search is more appropriate.

Invoking Morwenn's Cunning trait here, so she can use her knowledge of Bree-Hill to find the quickest, most efficient route to Combe...

Mmmmm.... I'll allow it.

Go ahead and make your rolls, folks. You're not limited to the rolls chosen above if you can talk me into something else. But it is too early for any battle rolls.

Can we use Awareness to look as we run to determine any more information as to what is going on in Combe?

Absolutely!

Primrose searches around looking for a horse to "borrow" for the trip to Combe.

Search: 3d6 + 1d12 ⇒ (1, 2, 1) + (12) = 16
Gandalf Rune Great Success? AP point?

Primrose, 12 is an auto-success, not a great success
Athletics: 1d6 + 1d12 ⇒ (2) + (9) = 11
Awareness: 2d6 + 1d12 ⇒ (4, 2) + (2) = 8

LM, I would like to spend Hope to succeed on Athletics and invoke Keen-eyed for a success on Awareness.

Athletics: 1d6 + 1d12 ⇒ (3) + (2) = 5
Awareness: 3d6 + 1d12 ⇒ (3, 4, 4) + (5) = 16

LM: It's 1 am here and I'm falling asleep (and typing this on my phone). I'll make a quick post in my morning before the next family event.

Primrose, were you looking for a horse and cart initially? Are you now just searching for a horse to ride? Just checking before determining what Tilly's next action will be. Thanks.

I was looking for a horse and cart to carry all of us to Combe with less fatigue than running, but if I can only find a horse or a pony, I'd take it.

Athletics: 1d12 + 2d6 ⇒ (1) + (6, 1) = 8

Sprinting as quick as he can. And since I'm worried about what'll happen if we DON'T succeed... I'll spend a point of Hope to get a result of 15.

Being a local, Tilly will briefly stop to help Primrose borrow a horse and cart from the owner, if they are around. Tilly being a Breelander, and from one of the longstanding families of Bree, is that useful to Primrose in knowing where to locate the nearest horse & cart? And if so, does she have to make any other rolls, LM? Sorry, still trying to learn the rules as I go.

Persuade: 3d6 + 1d12 ⇒ (1, 4, 4) + (2) = 11

Then she will follow behind the others on foot as quickly as possible, hoping to catch up and then keep up. She is watchful as she runs, trying to gauge the extent of the danger/threat the closer she gets to Combe.

Athletics: 1d6 + 1d12 ⇒ (6) + (12) = 18
Awareness: 1d6 + 1d12 ⇒ (2) + (5) = 7

Athletics: 2d6 + 1d12 ⇒ (6, 5) + (7) = 18

Great Success! Sorry it took me so long to respond, I was out of town for the weekend. Back now.

Gandalf Rune Great Success? AP point?

As Berethor points out, a Gandalf rune indicates an automatic success. Great successes come from a "6" on one of the d6's. However, you do gain an Advancement Point because that is your first success in the Perception skill group during this adventure (see p. 212 of The One Ring rule book.

LM, I would like to spend Hope to succeed on Athletics and invoke Keen-eyed for a success on Awareness.

Absolutely, Berethor. However, for those still learning the system, this doe not qualify Berethor for an Advancement Point because he did not roll the success.

Sprinting as quick as he can. And since I'm worried about what'll happen if we DON'T succeed... I'll spend a point of Hope to get a result of 15.

Very good, Lothac. Please remember to mark that loss of Hope on your character sheet and on your Class/Level line.

Tilly had a great success and an automatic success on her Athletics. Tilly and Elarinya, you also may take Advancement Points in your Movement Skill Groups. Be sure to mark them on your character sheets!

Tilly and/or Elarinya can use their Great Success to help someone else succeed. Morwenn, in this case.

Morwenn is the first person out of the North Gate and begins loping up Bree Hill in her long stride, but she becomes tangled in an unseen blackberry bramble and so must extricate herself and find a new path.

Tilly knows that the guard stables are just down the hill near the West Gate, and directs Primrose in that direction, then runs for the spot in the hedge wall under which she crawled many times as a girl, wriggling through and saving precious minutes in her dash northward. She is startled to find Elarinya right behind her, grinning as they run. They find Morwenn and are able to steer her back towards safer ground.

Primrose knows she will never keep up with the big people, so she dashes down the cobbled hill, her bare feet slapping the stones and skids into the Watch stables. Without asking permission, she leaps up on the back of the smallest pony in the stables, seizes its mane and digs in her heels. "Hya!" Horse and rider bolt past an astonished stable boy and pelt for the North Gate.

Berethor runs after Morwenn, his keen eyes catching glimpses of the ranger's silhouette as she dashes up the hill towards the fire. He finds himself running alongside the grim-looking Dunlending. As Berethor starts to pull ahead the Dunlending growls, puts his chin down and charges forward, keeping pace with the guardsman as they race up the hill.

As you approach the top of Bree-Hill, the land drops sharply into a narrow valley between the hill and the Chetwood a half-mile off. Between the two lies the small Mannish farming village of Combe. The thatched roofs of the village are ablaze and fires are spreading from hut to house to barn. As the people run screaming from their homes they are cut down by arrows! Unseen archers are firing from the ridge below you, killing anyone who dares to show their heads!

You can make out shadowy shapes in the darkness below, but none of them seem to have noticed you. That's about to change as many villagers of Bree are not far behind you, coming on with torches, pitchforks and halberds, but for the moment you have complete surprise.

Stand by.

So, this is our first battle and some of our players have never played The One Ring before. I certainly have never GM'ed it. We're going to step through this slowly. For those worried that TOR is more about dice than story, I assure you the opposite is true, but in this case we're going to focus on the mechanics so we can all learn them together. Hereafter we'll try to make things flow more organically.

You have surprise, and therefore the Initiative (p. 170).

You're going to act first, and try to gain some combat advantages (such as dominant terrain). Everyone may now make a Battle roll (TN 14) to try to gain advantages (pp. 151 & 170). Rolls, please!

Battle: 2d6 + 1d12 ⇒ (1, 6) + (7) = 14
Great Success! Two Combat Advantage die for me.

LM, can we make out the shapes below? Perhaps a Search roll?

Search: 1d6 + 1d12 ⇒ (1) + (2) = 3

Elarinya rushes up, and, seeing enemies, levels her spear. Accustomed to hours in the smithy, and young by the reckoning of the Eldar and full of her power, the flames do not bother her as they do others. She finds gaps in the conflagration to dart through, making her approach all but impossible to see.

I will wait to post my action until we get a count of foes and how many we can engage, but Elarinya will adopt an Open Stance.

Search: 1d12 ⇒ 5

Battle: 2d6 + 1d12 ⇒ (3, 1) + (5) = 9

Berethor will go Defensive Stance; since that's farther along in initiative, I will wait to describe what he does.

LM, can we make out the shapes below? Perhaps a Search roll?

Nope. They're shadowy figures backlit by the fire and partially obscured by the downward slope. You're reasonably certain they're men... or maybe goblins, but they're eerily quiet for goblins, at least according to the stories, since few of you have ever seen a goblin.

Primrose comes to skidding to a halt a bit back from the others. She leaps off the pony, and ties it to a bush. Then sneaks up to the fellowship and peers down the ridge.

Battle: 1d12 ⇒ 9

Tilly moves cautiously and finds a place beside her companions and carefully/quietly peers down on the ridge below; spear in hand, heart hammering in her chest.

Battle: 1d6 + 1d12 ⇒ (3) + (9) = 12

Muttering quietly as she pulls herself from the grasping brambles, Morwenn curses under her breath as the sight of Combe aflame is revealed as they crest the hill.

Her eyes narrow as she tries to acertain the numbers of attackers, their disposition and most importantly...who or what they are...

Battle: 1d12 + 1d6 ⇒ (2) + (3) = 5

Going to invoke her Keen-Eyed trait here to help her see what's going on.

Just waiting for Lothac.

Okay. Lothac can catch up when he comes back. Let's roll.

A note on Extra Dice: Elarinya was the only one to succeed on her battle roll, and she got a Great Success, so she gets two extra d6's (Success Dice, in TOR parlance. She can throw those (one at a time) on any roll during this battle to represent her tactical advantage. Where I differ slightly from the TOR rules is that if you want to use those extra success dice, you need to describe what the advantage is when you use it. Was it a terrain feature used to great advantage? Was it an enemy weakness you noticed and exploited? Be sure to describe it in your post!

Morwenn and Berethor, being keen-sighted, can now make out the shapes of men (or mostly men?) in long hooded cloaks firing on the villagers. It's clear that their purpose is simply to kill as many people as they can. They're not moving to enter the village. They don't seem to have much discipline or direction that you can tell- they're just firing on anyone they see down below.

It is difficult to say how many attackers there are out there in the dark. Certainly, you can see dozens below you and to each side.

The first part of this battle will be you ambushing the men directly below you on the slopes of the narrow valley. There are three of them for every one of you and no apparent leaders. Assuming you choose to attack, you get an initial volley with ranged weapons if you have any. Or you may have some clever non-attack plan I can't predict. So take it away!

Primrose pulls out her bow, takes careful aim. You can do this Primrose. It's just like shooting a deer. Don't think about it maybe being a man. They are hurtin people, and burning things. You know they aren't good people. She fires at one of the attackers directly below her. In the dark she misses her target. She hisses quietly in frustration. She nervously things about moving closer to the fight.

Bow: 2d6 + 1d12 ⇒ (1, 3) + (1) = 5

Morenn's eyes narrow as she slowly counts the number of attackers mercilessy slaughtering the villagers of Combe.

However, her movement are purposeful as she draws and arrow from it's quiver and knocks her bow.

With a single , smooth powerful motion she draws the fletching back to her ear, aiming by instict she'd done this so many times...

Bows, Hope spent , damage: 5 edge: 10 injury: 14: 1d12 + 1d6 + 7 ⇒ (5) + (4) + 7 = 16

Elarinya will engage two of them, and attempt to strike both, spear lashing out quick as a striking serpent. Before she settles into melee range, she grabs a burning branch and flings it at her enemies. While it would have done little damage, it is only natural for one to flinch when fire is headed towards your face!

Swift Strokes Called Shot using bonus die: 4d6 + 1d12 ⇒ (2, 5, 5, 6) + (1) = 19

Success! Both enemies are struck for 14 Endurance Damage (assuming their Parry rating is under 10)

Berethor will advance cautiously, stout shield in front of him. He will stand in front of the two companions that took shots with their bows. As soon as the men enter into melee range, Berethor will slash with his long sword. Seeing Elarinya attempt to strike two foes in one smooth motion, Berethor will follow suit.

Swift Strokes Called Shot: 3d6 + 1d12 ⇒ (1, 1, 6) + (8) = 16

Twelve Endurance damage if it hits. If it misses I will spend Hope. I am in Defensive Stance. Current TN to be hit is 22.

Sorry about the tardiness. Battle roll...

Battle: 1d12 + 1d6 ⇒ (12) + (5) = 17

OOO, excellent! I'll be saving my extra dice. I may need it later - I can spend it on Rally Comrades if I can devise a way to use that dice, right?

The Dunlending darts into the battle with a blood-curdling warcry, his axe held high. "Face us!" he snarls at at the cloaked figures. "Face your death! Die like men!"

Open Stance, rolling to attack. Using an axe + a shield, so my TN to be hit should be... 18?

Attack (Axe): 1d12 + 2d6 ⇒ (10) + (6, 4) = 20

The damage should be 9 (5+Body) if it hits.

This is the initial volley, not yet Close Combat. Do Elarinya, Berethor or Lothac wish to fire in the initial volley?

This is the initial volley, not yet Close Combat. Do Elarinya, Berethor or Lothac wish to fire in the initial volley?

Due to the various problems caused by weight, Lothac doesn't have a spear, and so can't participate in the opening volley. I hope to get him a bow eventually, but for now he can't do that.

Berethor will attempt a shot Sorry I misunderstood the flow!.

Bow: 1d6 + 1d12 ⇒ (5) + (10) = 15

The bow is not Berethor's preferred weapon, but he manages to get off a good shot!

If it hits, 10 is a potential Piercing Blow, TN 14. If it misses, I will spend Hope. 5 Endurance Damage as well if it hits.

Elarinya will try a shot.

Bow: 1d6 + 1d12 ⇒ (3) + (10) = 13

It's a fair shot, but Elarinya's skill is with the spear.

5 Endurance and Piercing Blow if it hits

Protection Test (Injury 14): 2d6 + 2 ⇒ (1, 6) + 2 = 9 That's a wound

Tilly's and Elarinya's shots fly into the darkness, but Morwenn's shot hits true, as does Berethor's. The Guardsman's arrow pierces the unseen armor of his target, sinking deep into it's thigh.

Perception: 1d12 + 2d6 ⇒ (9) + (2, 4) = 15

Shocked by the sudden attack from behind, the shadowy archers scan the darkness above them for the source of the attack. Spotting the enemy in the moonlight, they unleash their own, much heavier volume of fire. "There!" cry Mannish voices. "Those dirt farmers have some nerve after all. Well, at them boys! Let them have it!"

Bow v. Berethor: 1d12 + 2d6 ⇒ (4) + (3, 5) = 12 Miss
Bow v. Berethor: 1d12 + 2d6 ⇒ (11) + (6, 1) = 18 Eye of Sauron. Automatic Hit. Great Success. Lose 7 END and a potential Piercing Blow.
Bow v. Berethor: 1d12 + 2d6 ⇒ (9) + (1, 5) = 15 Miss

Bow v. Elarinya: 1d12 + 2d6 ⇒ (4) + (2, 6) = 12 Miss
Bow v. Elarinya: 1d12 + 2d6 ⇒ (8) + (1, 1) = 10 Miss
Bow v. Elarinya: 1d12 + 2d6 ⇒ (9) + (2, 6) = 17 Miss

Bow v. Lothac: 1d12 + 2d6 ⇒ (10) + (1, 5) = 16 Miss
Bow v. Lothac: 1d12 + 2d6 ⇒ (5) + (5, 3) = 13 Miss
Bow v. Lothac: 1d12 + 2d6 ⇒ (5) + (3, 4) = 12 Miss

Bow v. Morwenn: 1d12 + 2d6 ⇒ (5) + (2, 2) = 9 Miss
Bow v. Morwenn: 1d12 + 2d6 ⇒ (12) + (1, 3) = 16 Gandalf Rune. Automatic Miss
Bow v. Morwenn: 1d12 + 2d6 ⇒ (5) + (1, 6) = 12 Miss

Bow v. Primrose: 1d12 + 2d6 ⇒ (6) + (4, 4) = 14
Bow v. Primrose: 1d12 + 2d6 ⇒ (11) + (3, 1) = 15 Eye of Sauron. Automatic Hit. Lose 5 END and a potential Piercing Blow.
Bow v. Primrose: 1d12 + 2d6 ⇒ (10) + (1, 3) = 14 Miss

Berethor and Primrose, give me a Protection test each. This is a Feat die (1d12) and a number of Success dice (d6's) determined by your armor and/or shield. You may spend Hope to invoke a Body Attribute (add your Body) on a Protection Test.

Protection Armour and Headgear: 2d6 + 1 + 1d12 ⇒ (2, 1) + 1 + (2) = 6
My buckler is on my back because of the bow. That leaves me 8 endurance out of 23 (13 Encumbrance). Will a +2 on my Body help? I don't think it will. If it does, I'll spend the point of hope.

Berethor?

Protection: 1d6 + 1d12 ⇒ (3) + (10) = 13
Spent point of Hope is a success. Also LM, did my bowshot kill one of them? Unless they have something special wounds kill bad guys.

Hmm... Yep, that's true, and yes you did.

1d15 ⇒ 5 However, the one you killed is not one of those who got lucky and hit Berethor and Primrose, so no change.

Please reflect the Hope spent on both your character sheet and your Class/Level line.

The initial volley is over and no one is certain what happens next.

You have a few choices. You can charge down and attack. If you do, everyone give me a stance, an action and a die roll. If you run, give me Awareness checks. If you do something else, let me know.

Everyone, go!

Primrose looks shocked from the attack that hit her. Animals don't fire back. She looks to Lothac and the others for guidance, "Should we attack or run? I don't know if I can take another hit like that."

Lothac's face hardens when he sees the one of the arrows soar and slam into the Hobbit. A certain blackness comes over his eyes, and he grips his axe with killing intent.

"Stand back, Primrose!" he roars. "Use your bow or hide!" And with that, he throws himself at the enemy.

Stance - Open. Action - Attack. I wish I could use the roll I made earlier, but such is life. Here goes...

Attack (Axe): 1d12 + 2d6 ⇒ (9) + (4, 3) = 16

Damage = 5. As previously mentioned, TN to be hit should be 18 in this stance.

Elarinya will fight in a Forward Stance.

She will approach cautiously, moving apace with the rest of her group, and stab at the nearest foe with her great spear.

Attack: 3d6 + 1d12 ⇒ (2, 3, 3) + (10) = 18

Piercing Blow TN 16

Berethor will advance with the utmost caution. He will approach with Elarinya, using his shield to defend the both of them. He will attack the nearest foe.

Defensive Stance; Standing in Defense of Elarinya

Attack: 3d6 + 1d12 ⇒ (3, 3, 5) + (9) = 20

5 Endurance Damage

Also I'm all updated

Just waiting on Morwenn.

Morwenn curses as the others run to engage the raiders, but for the time being she decides to continue to try to thin the enemies numbers from afar...

Bows, using hope: 1d12 + 1d6 + 7 ⇒ (4) + (5) + 7 = 16

Primrose decides to hide, and catch her breath for a moment. She slips into a patch of darkness between two trees, and some bushes that are growing around their bases.

Stealth: 3d6 + 1d12 ⇒ (3, 5, 2) + (2) = 12
Invoking my Elusive Trait. I know I lost 5 endurance, but did I receive a piercing blow? That means I'm wounded correct?

Yes, Primrose is wounded.

Forward - Elarinya
Open - Lothac
Defensive - Berethor
Rearward - Morwenn
Fleeing - Primrose

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Protection Test v. Elarinya (TN 16): 1d12 + 2d6 ⇒ (8) + (3, 2) = 13

The Elf of Rivendell charges forward, brandishing her spear and startling the figures whom she can now clearly see are men in great cloaks armed with bows and knives. She holds her great spear in two hands and rams it through the chest of the first archer she comes upon, killing him instantly.

Close on her heels are Lothac and Berethor, each of whom drive back the men before them, injuring two while Morwenn remains above, covering their advance with her bow, injuring a third.

Little Primrose uses the confusion to find a hiding spot behind a large tree root from where she is relatively safe. She crouches there in pain, trying to see what occurs in the gloom below.

More in a bit. Stand by.

Unfortunately, Morwenn, there are more than double your number of enemies, so you can't assume a Rearward stance (p. 173). In order to move things along, I'm going to assume a Defensive stance for Morwenn and use the same roll for her longsword, but add 1d6 because she's better with a sword than a bow.

Additional sword die for Morwenn: 1d6 ⇒ 1 Total of 17.

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Initially startled at being attacked from behind, the brigands begin to sense their great weight of numbers. However, you can see fear in their eyes - tall warriors and bright swords and axes are not what they expected from the usually placid Bree-folk. Still, they turn and fight.

The three wounded brigands will remain in the rear, firing bows. Of the remaining ten three each will attack Elarinya and Lothac in close combat and two each will attempt to stab Berethor and Morwenn.

Brigand's dagger vs. Elarinya (TN 15): 1d12 + 1d6 ⇒ (7) + (6) = 13 Miss.
Brigand's dagger vs. Elarinya (TN 15): 1d12 + 1d6 ⇒ (2) + (4) = 6 Miss.
Brigand's dagger vs. Elarinya (TN 15): 1d12 + 1d6 ⇒ (12) + (1) = 13 Gandalf Rune. Automatic Miss.

Brigand's dagger vs. Lothac (TN 18): 1d12 + 1d6 ⇒ (7) + (6) = 13 Miss.
Brigand's dagger vs. Lothac (TN 18): 1d12 + 1d6 ⇒ (4) + (6) = 10 Miss.
Brigand's dagger vs. Lothac (TN 18): 1d12 + 1d6 ⇒ (8) + (2) = 10 Miss.

Brigand's dagger vs. Berethor (TN 19): 1d12 + 1d6 ⇒ (5) + (6) = 11 Miss.
Brigand's dagger vs. Berethor (TN 19): 1d12 + 1d6 ⇒ (12) + (6) = 18 Gandalf Rune. Automatic Miss.

Brigand's dagger vs. Morwenn (TN 17): 1d12 + 1d6 ⇒ (10) + (1) = 11 Miss.
Brigand's dagger vs. Morwenn (TN 17): 1d12 + 1d6 ⇒ (1) + (1) = 2 Miss.

Brigand's Bow vs. Elarinya (TN 15): 1d12 + 2d6 ⇒ (1) + (2, 3) = 6 Miss.
Brigand's Bow vs. Lothac (TN 18): 1d12 + 2d6 ⇒ (8) + (4, 1) = 13 Miss.
Brigand's Bow vs. Berethor (TN 19): 1d12 + 2d6 ⇒ (7) + (1, 3) = 11 Miss.

The tumult and clangor are deafening, with men roaring and snarling, swords and daggers clashing and bowstrings snapping. Elsewhere in the dark, men shout confused questions, but luck...if luck you call it... is with the companions and they weather the initial fury of the brigands unscathed.

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STATUS
Berethor (-5 END)
Elarinya
Lothac
Morwenn
Primrose (-5 END, Wounded, Hidden)

Brigands (2 dead, 3 at -5 END)

Everyone, go!