Quote:
Originally Posted by hcobb
I setup a scenario where a fencer is supposed to be a big challenge and the players took care of the the problem with one figure defending while the others poured in crossbow fire.
I've modified the fencer by giving him Shield Expertise, but this doesn't help much.
How do you keep big bad fencers or martial artists from getting slaughtered by missile weapons the first turn they're engaged by a defend-only anchor and so have to drop their dodge?
Note that I just want solutions under the rules as written rather than a house rule.
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For fencers, by putting them in proper contexts - town streets, where a crossbow means you're either on the guard, or about to be killed by guardsmen with crossbows, muskets, and/or magic anyway if you've got it out and loaded. And often, don't have a lot of range, are liable for collateral damage, and face the possibility of being charged with attempted murder and/or insurrection for use of weapons of war inside the city.
Fencing, historically, was a townsman thing. The techniques for martial swords are rather different (tho' Cut-n-Thrust era was cross-influential). By the time fencing was a popular element, wheel-locks were becoming reliable enough to be threatening, body armor was becoming ceremonial or reduced to mere center-of-mass protection, cavalry was largely transitioning to dragoons (horse-mobile infantry) and musket-cavalry (who largely fired a round or two, then switched to the saber).
Alternately, set it as a genre element that ranged attacks simply do not get made on targets engaged with allies.