[DF] Suitable Dangerous Encounters

[Ts_]

Sorry! Another long post with numbers.

And another thing ... the overall results of these fights. The barb needs just one hit to take out a guard (let's just assume that for simplicity), the cleric needs about 3 hits to get the guards down to half HP (when they might flee), and the wizard needs ... maybe 30.

The barb hits 64.8% of the time. So one guard drops roughly every 1.5 rounds (1 / chance is the expected time for one hit).
The cleric hits 57.4% of the time, so one guard leaves a fight roughly every (3 hits * 1 / 57.4%) = 5.2 rounds.
(Let's just ignore the wizard. He needs about 150 rounds to get a guard to half HP ...)
A guard can hit the barb 47.0% of the time, and the cleric 20.5% for the block and 38.0% for the dodge.
Wounds from the guards is as above: 9 vs barb and wizard, 3.3 vs the Cleric.

So, the barb takes about 47% * 9 injury / round / guard = 4.5.
For the cleric (Blocking simplified, like in Nymdoks post) it's only 0.67 vs the block and 1.25 vs the dodge.

The phase with 1 opponent will last about 1.5 rounds for the barb and 5.2 rounds for the cleric. That's 6.75 and 3.5 damage to barb and cleric, respectively.

For two guards: 9 dmg / round vs. the barb, and roughly 2 vs. the cleric.
This phase lasts 1.5 rounds for the barb and 4.2 for the cleric (who got initiative over the guards, so saves 1 round of being hit).
That's 13.5 and 8.4 damage.

For three guards: 13.5 dmg / round vs. the barb (and 3.25 vs the cleric).
This phase lasts 0.5 rounds for the barb because he's got initiative and might drop someone before he got attacked the first time, so that's 6.75 dmg for the barb.

In total the barb spent 5.5 turns and lost 27 HP. The cleric spent 9.4 seconds and lost 12 HP. Ouch.

So, what does this tell us? Three guards bring a barb down to -5 HP and the cleric down to 0 HP, assuming everyone just "attacks". However, if the barb survives, he would probably kill the cleric's 2nd attacker quickly about the same time the cleric dropped his first oppenent to half HP. Then the fight is over and the cleric actually took a little bit less damage than assumed above, around 7 HP only.

Things that are missing from this: Extra effort and better defense stuff like retreat, if that is possible. Other attack maneuvers might not help much. (All-out-attack, for example, increases the hit rate of the guards by 1.5, but also how much they get hit by about the same factor, assuming the PCs always change their target to an AoAing foe, which is less of an option for the cleric ...) And hit locations, telegraphic / deceptive attack, etc. to optimize average damage compared to simply hitting the torso, if there is potential. Oh, and disarming and crippling and stuff ... Anyway, most of this isn't in favor of the PCs, because each group of guards has 2-3 weapons, while a PC has only 1 ...

So, if healing potions are available, all of this shouldn't matter that much, the fight might simply take a bit longer and the guards will eventually die. Without healing, the PCs might both fall unconcious, in particular if even more guards attack the barb first (they have reach 2, I guess, and can stab "through" their fellow guards). On the other hand, if the PCs barricade themselves and take out one guard at a time in a doorframe like one would do it in a CRPG ...

I guess the lesson is:

Originally Posted by Kromm

Multiple combatants are indeed a place where things get sticky, fast.

Oh, and also for a real challenge that encounter was a pretty good guess.

Regards,
Ts

PS: These numbers come without any claim of correctness, other than that they seem to make sense and my computer said that they are okay.
PPS: Edited because I assumed 3 guards attacking the cleric (the fight ended at -10 HP for him).