[Rick_Smith]

Steve Jackson can use these ideas freely, in exchange for acknowledgement of my work. (signed) Richard W. Smith.

Map & Terrain:
This is a melee map sized room that has the centre 3 mega-hexes is a shallow pit. The exit that the party enters is closed, but the opposite exit is open.

The pit is 2 yards deep and is filled with jagged pointed rocks. Falling into it does 1d+1 damage. There are enough handholds to make it easy to climb out, and people doing so end their turn on the upper edge of the pit, prone. The floor of the pit is rough ground.

Note that multi-hex figures must have half or more of their hexes overlapping the pit before they fall in. If the Ogre falls in the howdah takes 10 points of damage and the Ogre will be wedged in. It will take 1 turn to twist himself free, and then will stand on the next turn. When the Ogre climbs out, it will be kneeling rather than prone.

A small figure at the bottom of the pit can not be hit from some out out of the pit with a melee weapon unless they kneel at the edge of the pit. (An Ogre in the pit CAN be hit by small figures standing outside with out them having to kneel.)

The ceiling is 6 yards high.

Enemy:
Handicap: If the PC's have lost 2 or more people, just the ogre is in this room. If the players have lost no one, or just one figure, then both the ogre and the hobbit are here.

There is a 5 hex ogre across the room from the players. (Use the same counter as the Battle Machine.) It has heavy half plate (stops 5 hits) made out of Brass, which due to its Great ST bonuses it can wear at no Movement Penalties and with only -1 DX penalty. It has a massive howdah high on its back which has a hobbit inside. It has 5 front hexes, 4 sides, and 2 rear hexes.

............. F ........ F ....... F

........ F...... *#*****#* ....... F

.. S ...... *#**** H ****#* ...... S <--- The H is the location of the hobbit.

....... S ....... R ........ R ........ S


Ogre: ST 48, DX 9 (8), IQ 7, MA 12, Brass half plate stops 5 hits. It has a great sword which it wields 1 handed doing 3d+1 damage. It has a giant Agis shield which stops 3 hits to its front.

Reaction to damage: -2 DX if 9 hits in one turn, falls if it takes 16 damage in one turn, permanent negatives at 6 or less, and unconscious at 3 hits left.

If the Ogre is given 24 damage or more, it will disengage and attempt to surrender. (The hobbit will surrender as well.) The battle is won and the party may loot the enemy and leave the room. If they ignore the surrender and continue to attack the Ogre, it will berserk, and fight to the death.

Hobbit Wizard in howdah: ST 6, DX 14, IQ 10, MA 8. No armor (but see howdah rules). Staff is a small wand doing no physical damage. It has a fully charged 4 point ST Battery which it will use the power from first. It has several brass throwing knives which it will use once it is out of fatigue to power its spells.
Abilities:
-- Talents: Ogre & Elf Languages, Thrown Weapons. (Thrown knives do 1d–1 damage.)
-- Spells: Staff, Trip, Magic Fist, Blur, 1 hex Fire, Shock Shield, Shadow.

Howdah rules:
Inside the howdah the hobbit is completely hidden by the brass bucket it is in, except its head and upper chest, so missile and thrown weapons attack it at -4 DX. The hobbit may be attacked by thrown and missile weapons from any direction. Melee attacks must come from the Ogre's rear hexes. The howdah is wooden frame construction with brass plates riveted on. The brass will stop 4 hits if you attempt to batter thru it. The howdah will take 15 points of damage after armor before falling apart, (which will spill the hobbit to the ground). It is a big target, and despite it bobbing around, it may be attacked at +2 DX. Attacks at the Howdah use this +2 DX, and not the +2 or +4 DX for the Ogre's side or rear hexes.

If the Ogre falls for any reason, if the Hobbit is in the Howdah, it takes 1d-2 falling damage.

The hobbit is high enough that its attacks at people on the ground and their attacks at it, add one hex to the range. To melee attack the hobbit, figures on the ground need to be able to strike up at a target 4 yards high. (3 yards high to hit the howdah itself.)

Unless the hobbit is wounded and hiding at the bottom of the howdah, it is visible from the front, peering over the Ogre's left shoulder.



Suggested Ogre / Hobbit strategy. The hobbit will delay its action until someone has attacked the Ogre. It will then cast Trip on that person. (They won't be able to stand this turn because their action has been used.). The Ogre will then be able to attack at +4 DX at the fallen figure. The Ogre will follow the hobbits guidance on who it should attack. Once the hobbit dies, the Ogre will just try to smash the most irritating foe without much strategy.
It costs x5 to cast Blur on the Ogre (it is a 5 hex figure), so the Hobbit will only blur itself. The hobbit is critically short on fatigue to power its spells, so it will try to save its spells until a key moment.

If the Ogre dies and the hobbit is still alive, AND if the party has 3 or fewer members surviving, the hobbit will surrender and offer to join the party. (Roll 1d6: On a 1 to 3, it is sincere and will fight for the team, on a 4 to 6 is will try to run out the exit in the next fight and leave the party to their fate.


Suggested player strategy. People who are tripped beside the pit may chose to fall in (not bother to try the 4vsDX saving throw), so that they are not in easy reach of the Ogre. If the party lacks people who can shoot the hobbit wizard, try to get behind the Ogre and smash the howdah.
If you are attacking the Ogre from the front, consider striking at the legs (–4 DX), to avoid the shield.


Treasure:
The hobbit has a 4 point ST Battery (likely discharged). It is LIMITED to the employees of the Thorsz and those taking his tests. An EXPUNGE will remove all enchantments if any enchantment is removed. (If the party wins this, they can keep it if they want to work for the Thorsz.)

Notes: If you are using the new TFT rules, make the ST battery a 1 pointer (with no LIMIT / EXPUNGE so the players may keep & use it, even if they leave the Thorsz), and say hobbit's staff holds 3 mana.

There are 2 gold bars in the howdah.

Warm regards, Rick.