03-18-2021, 01:03 PM | #11 |
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Boston area
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Re: A minor comment about summoned bats
Thanks.
Here are some additional characters so I can post this. |
03-18-2021, 10:24 PM | #12 | |
Join Date: Jul 2018
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Re: A minor comment about summoned bats
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As for how many is the right number to go after a party of four... does it really matter? I don't think they'd be a combat challenge. I'd have them sneak up at night, while everyone's asleep, and raid the packs for food and shiny objects. Roll vs. IQ to wake up and notice you're being robbed. The slinkers will run away at the first sign of a threat, but one of them already has your MacGuffin firmly clamped in its little jaws... Alternatively, when you get back to town, somebody at the tavern has a trained pet slinker and works the rooms at night. After all, few gold coins here and there quickly add up to a decent income. Edit: I'm not surprised that bats would be capable of sneaking through tiny openings. Some species are extremely nimble little bastards. Case study: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5KrTtTVoy8 (I couldn't find much good footage of a Mexican free-tail crawling, but I think this video gets the point across.) Last edited by Anomylous; 03-18-2021 at 11:02 PM. |
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03-19-2021, 07:17 AM | #13 |
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Boston area
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Re: A minor comment about summoned bats
Good points about door handles of a lever sort.
Parties in the wilderness surely leave at least one guard on duty. That guard will wake others, though it will take them time to stand and arm. I have trouble coming up with an effective strategy and target for the slinkers. Those who sleep with a dagger adjacent can lose their weapon, but most valuables will be reasonably stowed out of sight. Similarly, a slinker in the tavern will be noticeable and will attract attention. This makes him a lousy pickpocket in my mind. So, you can see my problem. A reasonably alert and cautious party must have a good chance to notice a slinker and they can be dispatched easily. Now, that's only true if you catch them before or as they're grabbing an item. They're fast and in the wilderness once they have their item, they're effectively gone. This is why I thought a decent number of slinkers would offset their limitations. If there are six slinkers and a party of four, some of whom must stand and ready weapons, then something will be stolen. Again, since my PCs don't wander around with tiaras, I guess the haul will be limited to daggers, purses and perhaps food. Even if there is a shiny MacGuffin, either the slinkers steal it and then it's effectively just gone or the MacGuffin is stored quite safely. |
03-19-2021, 03:44 PM | #14 | |
Join Date: May 2018
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Re: A minor comment about summoned bats
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10-29-2021, 07:57 AM | #15 |
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Boston area
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Uses for scouts in combat
Last night, a wizard sent a bat to scout out the situation before attacking. The bat was still active when the fight began, so he wanted to use the bat to distract an enemy, getting in his face and flapping about and whatnot.
At the time, I thought it was reasonable to give a penalty to the harried enemy, maybe DX -2, but I'm rethinking that now[1]. Certainly, the -2 penalty is too much, since Clumsiness has the same effect at a cost of 1 ST for 3 turns, so a Scout would be a little over 3 times more cost efficient, although a Scout could be killed but at a penalty of DX -4 to hit. What do y'all think about combat uses for Scouts? I tend to think they should be able to attack, but I don't think it makes sense to give a bat distraction abilities on reconsideration. Thematically, it seems appropriate, I guess. A bat flying into your face would be a hassle. Thanks for any thoughts you got. [1] As it happens, my decision at the time didn't matter, since the PCs retreated before the plan could have any effect. |
10-29-2021, 10:06 AM | #17 |
Join Date: May 2015
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Re: A minor comment about summoned bats
All clever tricks might (or might not) work once, but they tend to have counters or else they'd be standard tactics.
A normal bat doesn't cause DX penalties. A normal bat doesn't hover in someone's face. A bat hovering in someone's face might be easier to swat and kill than a bat not hovering in someone's face. I'd tend to say a bat hovering in someone's face could be swatted and killed by making just a 3/DX roll, or maybe even an easier roll, especially if they had, for example, a shield to do it with, because the space in front of one's own face is very easy to hit. Another line of thought I have seen other GMs use, is that Summon Scout is not supposed to summon a combatant, so maybe those summons can be told to go places, but not to make attacks or do things a visiting animal wouldn't do. |
10-29-2021, 12:41 PM | #18 | |
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: New England
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Re: A minor comment about summoned bats
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