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Old 05-05-2021, 06:33 PM   #1
phiwum
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Boston area
Default Shifting multihex figures

Has anyone come up with a reasonable way to shift multihex figures? I'm looking at the seven-hex figure now.

Obviously, moving forward or back is no issue, but there seems to be now way to change facing in a shift. For the seven-hex figure, to change facing while leaving the head in the same hex requires four moves, so it can't be done in a shift. There is no way to shift while changing facing either. If you move the head only one hex, then the tail moves three hexes. Any rotation requires the sum of hexes moved for head and tail sums to four (haven't reasoned it out mathematically, but seems to be so).

I guess this is a good reason to allow trampling, but if you could engage a dragon from side and rear hexes in a way that he can't trample, he's screwed. (Note that you can't trample someone who has no hex to escape into, a rule which bugs me.) It would be an odd situation where that comes up, to be fair.

In an aside, the following thought just struck me while reading the "Moving Onto Other Figures" section: You can stand on a fallen or unconscious figure. Has anyone thought of stomping on a downed figure while still attacking an adjacent figure, as one does with rats? The rules don't explicitly allow it (unless you're larger than the downed figure, of course) and I suppose I wouldn't allow it either, since it sounds pretty damned awkward, but just a thought. (Clearly, the damage should be less than the 1d+1 a giant gets for trampling a one hex character.)

It would add insult to injury, however, for the baddie to be stomping on your dying buddy while he's fighting you.
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Old 05-05-2021, 08:09 PM   #2
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Default Re: Shifting multihex figures

Trampling is only defined for smaller figures. If one human trips over another human they do no damage to the one they fell on.
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Old 05-05-2021, 08:23 PM   #3
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Default Re: Shifting multihex figures

In the absence of a good articulating 7-hex dragon counter you can use two 4-hex counters that overlap to make a 7-hex one and allow it to pivot at the center point. That makes them at least somewhat more able to move satisfyingly on the board.
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Old 05-05-2021, 09:11 PM   #4
phiwum
 
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Default Re: Shifting multihex figures

Quote:
Originally Posted by hcobb View Post
Trampling is only defined for smaller figures. If one human trips over another human they do no damage to the one they fell on.
Trampling is similar to stomping rats and is described as stomping in some places in the text. And obviously, one can stomp on a person and do more damage than falling on the same person.

But I'm not really suggesting that this is something we should allow. The thought just crossed my mind. If I were to use it, I'd either do one point damage or 1d-4 or something (though real stomping is significantly worse than that, but can't be done as a free action).

Anyway, don't take that idle thought about stomping too seriously. Only a minor consideration that I doubt I'd implement.
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Old 05-05-2021, 09:13 PM   #5
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Default Re: Shifting multihex figures

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Originally Posted by Shostak View Post
In the absence of a good articulating 7-hex dragon counter you can use two 4-hex counters that overlap to make a 7-hex one and allow it to pivot at the center point. That makes them at least somewhat more able to move satisfyingly on the board.
Ah, yes, so that's why you mentioned articulated wyrms in the other thread. I play online, with images as counters, so this could be done. It would be fiddly (having to move both pieces about the board), but it could be done. I'll consider that hack.

Thanks, Shostak.
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Old 05-06-2021, 08:45 PM   #6
Kieddicus
 
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Default Re: Shifting multihex figures

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Originally Posted by phiwum View Post
Has anyone thought of stomping on a downed figure while still attacking an adjacent figure, as one does with rats?
I've made rules for moving into a hex with a prone figure, but they are combined to some degree with my grappling revamp. You also aren't attacking or stomping on them, you're just standing in the same space as them.
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Old 05-06-2021, 09:00 PM   #7
phiwum
 
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Default Re: Shifting multihex figures

The rules explicitly allow moving onto a downed figure, I suppose with the same DX -2 penalty as for moving onto a corpse. But I wasn't talking about unintentional damage done, but intentional stomping.

Anyway, it was just an idle thought.
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Old 05-08-2021, 02:28 PM   #8
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Default Re: Shifting multihex figures

The 7-hex dragon engaged from the side, might want to consider shifting sideways, pushing all the smaller figures and hopefully knocking some down.

Or fly and declare themselves higher than the ground figures can engage them.

When engaged by several flying figures, I like to move to the highest altitude where a falling figure cannot pull up before they hit the ground, and then push them so they fall and crash.
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Old 05-08-2021, 02:38 PM   #9
phiwum
 
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Default Re: Shifting multihex figures

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Originally Posted by Skarg View Post
The 7-hex dragon engaged from the side, might want to consider shifting sideways, pushing all the smaller figures and hopefully knocking some down.

Or fly and declare themselves higher than the ground figures can engage them.

When engaged by several flying figures, I like to move to the highest altitude where a falling figure cannot pull up before they hit the ground, and then push them so they fall and crash.
Yes, unless the dragon fighters are very lucky or clever, you should be able to shift sideways. But keep in mind that RAW says you can't push back if the figure has nowhere to escape to. In a cave, this can happen, but mostly it will be possible only if the guy drawing the map wants to give the dragon hunters a break.

Out in the open, the dragon has huge advantages. He can breathe fire with penalties only due to height (-1 DX per ten feet). Better have some good missile or at least thrown options (weapons or spells).

A seven-hex dragon stops 5 hits. I'm thinking that Shostak was optimistic about a party of four 36 pt. characters' chances if it's outdoors, depending of course on the weapon and spell options. But if they know they're facing a dragon and can lay their hands on some fireproofing potions, it all changes. I'm thinking about letting the players know that there is a dragon and allowing them to buy two or three fireproofing potions. Sadly, I've already decided there is a glut of such potions, due to a successful gargoyle hunt by NPCs, but this could change if a dragon is in the area.
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Old 05-08-2021, 02:54 PM   #10
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Default Re: Shifting multihex figures

The fix is to have the dragons run backwards all the time so that their rear hexes face the walls.
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