Friday, May 12, 2017

Scouting Ahead

It is still the afternoon of the 5th and the weather is still brisk, even a little less pleasant as it goes.  The sky is virtually clear, with just a wisp of cloud, and there is no rain, so you can be thankful for that.

I'm going to try and do as much as I can without drawing a map; please, let's imagine that Embla is moving out ahead of the party, some two or three hundred yards ahead, then circling back and signalling all clear to Lothar.  Now and then Embla should come all the way back to the party to get information from Lothar on finding direction through the wilderness, so she doesn't get lost.  Lothar will then indicate forward movement to the party.  This takes the best advantage of Embla using her stealth and Lothar using his pathfinding skill.  Don't take this as my running the party's actions ~ you'll simply find this the best way to operate.

Rolling for Embla, I start with 3d6 for full daylight, -3 for heavy forest and -1 for her level.  She's wearing soft armor so she suffers a +1 penalty for that.  The roll indicates the number of hexes from another creature that she'll be detected, not that she detects.  Thus, if I make a judgement that she will be able to see a creature at 8 hexes, and the roll comes out above 8, then she will be detected before she discovers what is out there.

At the same time, this finally gives me a solid number for hear noise.  Because she should be able to hear a creature at a distance greater than what she can see . . . let's say +3 hexes/level above normal sight range in the open and +1 hex per level when listening through an intervening object, like a door.  If she were, at first level, standing behind a door, with her ear pressed to it, she could hear someone at 1st level that was within 5 feet of the door.  This is a loose reckoning, we can test it a little and tighten it up later.

For the moment, let's say that Embla will see a creature at 8 hexes in this forest (a reasonable reckoning), if that creature is not attempting to hide, and hear the creature at 11 hexes (which doesn't seem like much better, but consider how much better it will be when she is 7th level).

Without revealing my roll, Embla moves close enough, within 11 hexes, to where she can hear something moving out there.  She should not be sure that moving closer won't reveal her, but at the moment what she hears gives no indication that she has been discovered.

She can smell fire in the far distance, but it does not smell like a forest fire (she's from a forest culture so she would have smelled such a fire before).  This is more like fires she has smelled outside of forges and such.  She would guess, right now, that she is about two or three hundred yards from the nearest part of the "fire," judging by the smell and the amount of smoke in the air.

She can hear the movement of feet and legs moving through brush, about four or five she would guess.  They are making a steady progress from her left to her right.

What, Embla, do you do?

29 comments:

Alexis Smolensk said...

[I'll go take a quick shower]

Embla Strand said...

Whew. About how far behind me is the party?

Alexis Smolensk said...

Says so in the post. Two or three hundred yards.

Embla Strand said...

Sorry I missed that.

I'd like to get a little closer, see if I can get a better estimate on their number.

Alexis Smolensk said...

I need to know how much closer. 1 hex? 2 hexes? more? you'd estimate that they are 11 hexes away, and that in the trees you'd have to get three hexes closer to see them. Do you want to move forward that far?

Embla Strand said...

No. 3 hexes is too much. I'm too far from everyone in case things go south.

I retreat to the group and relay what I know.

Alexis Smolensk said...

Okay, take your retreat as having occurred. You're with the party and anyone can comment.

Embla Strand said...

So, probably some kind of guard patrol around this functional fire thing? I don't know if we could quickly dispatch 4-5 of those critters.

Engelhart Askjellson said...

[Smells like Isengard all over again.]

Okay, so... they're arming or otherwise tooling themselves up?

Frankly, other than knowing that someone is there, there's not a whole lot to go on with. We need better info than this.

How about we move to a closer spot, that Embla may resume her sneaking with more confidence?

Lothar Svensson said...

Not a forest fire eh? That's both good news and bad news. Sounds like you ran across a patrol, which means something important is going on up there. Hard to say exactly what without getting a look.

Is it just our group to check out the smoke, or are there soldiers with us as well?

Engelhart Askjellson said...

Also, since we're at a point of potential contact with foes, I will now cast Bless, same targetting presumptions as before.

Embla: try to arrange with Lothar for a firing spot in case you need to beat a hasty retreat? 5-8 surprise shots is a goodly number to stun a sentry, yes?

Alexis Smolensk said...

Lothar,

You're scouting ahead to gain information about what's going on. Hagen the Captain sent men back to the road, to get reinforcements; he figures he'll have at least a hundred men by nightfall. You should presume that if you encounter a serious force, to expect it will be handled by the professionals. Unless, you know, you feel confident.

Bless casted.

As regards a firing spot, there are small outcroppings of rock here and there that will provide a vantage point for up to three persons, if Embla wants to move ahead of one such place while the party settles into position.

Embla Strand said...

I'll happily do so.

Pandred said...

Oh hell yes. I would like to be one of those three persons, resting my shield and handaxe within arms reach while I prepare the Heavy Crossbow. I will load it as soon as Embla or Lothar gives the go-ahead.

If there is room for others to hide out of sight behind those rocks, near the three primary shooters, we could get a real good ambush going.

Oddsdrakken is under orders to stay close for reloading purposes, out of sight as much as possible.

Engelhart Askjellson said...

I'll pass on the outcropping, since I'm not yet proficient with my Sling. Get 'em archers up there.

Alexis Smolensk said...

Presume that you're laying on top of a ledge of rock, picked so that it slopes slightly away from the direction of the uncertainly-purposed fires . . . then Embla can strike out again from that point, preparing to retreat past the ledge if she gets discovered.

Alexis Smolensk said...

Pandred and who else? Willa and Petar haven't been such great shots that they would push out a player character.

Lothar Svensson said...

I'll go up. I brought my bow, I want to use it.

Lothar Svensson said...

[Apologies for sporadic posting, I'm in a wedding in a connection-poor part of Ohio this weekend]

Alexis Smolensk said...

[I didn't expect you at all today, Lothar! I hope the wedding is going well. I'm going to shut down in half-an-hour; posting has dropped considerably since a couple of hours ago]

Alexis Smolensk said...

[Good day, guys. I'll still check on the blog, but I'm going to play some video game and then do some comic design. I've been working on rewriting sections of chapter 13 today, so I feel it's been a good day]

Pandred said...

Alright, Engelhart doesn't want to go up, Embla is frontlining.

Lothar and I are up, and I think that Willa should come up because we can't have two P-names up there.

The remaining hirelings are hiding behind the rocks ready to go.

Alexis Smolensk said...

That makes sense. The next step is up to me, to prepare a sight for the ambush as a battle map and see what happens with Embla.

I'm dragging my feet some, and probably will for a day or two; everyone take a rest, I'm gearing up for another week at the bakery.

Alexis Smolensk said...

[Hello all. Please have a look at this comment on the other campaign:

http://taoscampaign.blogspot.ca/2017/05/into-bolat-range.html?showComment=1495209567372#c7233411102716695058

I'm just going to write a brief set-up post on the other campaign and then I'm going to run Embla again as she makes a second approach towards the enemy.

I am not clear at this time if Embla intends to deliberately get herself chased or if there is some other intel that she wants to acquire. Embla, if you are out there, please confirm the purpose of this second mission.

Let me say that I'm sorry about the hiatus. I trust you're all in the mood to play. It has been pretty quiet out there, but I assume an email of this comment will find you.

Pandred said...

Do your thing. There've been hiatuses before, there may be again.

I'll be hanging around waiting for the next post regardless.

Engelhart Askjellson said...

On my end all's geared-up and ready for playing.

Welcome back, Alexis.

Alexis Smolensk said...

[sure, Pandred ~ but I have all this guilt. Nothing I can do about it.]

Lothar Svensson said...

I'm here too and ready to roll. Glad to hear you've turned the corner, at least, even if a less physically demanding job isn't yet in the cards.

Alexis Smolensk said...

The next post is up.