02-10-2021, 06:49 AM | #21 | |
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Boston area
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Re: Gargoyle hunting
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I've been skimping on the fine weapons, which can make a difference. I'll think about that. The issue that remains is that while these folk can take a small number of gargoyles on, it's not clear to me how to reliably find several small bands of gargoyles and make a decent profit. You'd want to find, oh, three to four gargoyles for each fight (fewer is safer, of course, but less profit). Travel time is two to three days to the mountains and back. Figure you stay on the hunt for a week, so that's 11 days or so. A mercenary recruit earns a little over ten bucks a day, so to beat that rate, you'd want to kill nine gargoyles in a week. That could be reasonable, I suppose. You wouldn't be raking in the dough and this is a hanging offense in my world, but it's one you might well get away with. Hcobb's suggestion of a wizard with calling makes it a lot more profitable at less risk, though there's always a chance of calling one gargoyle in a larger group who follows him to see what's going on. Sitting in a cave works for an effective ambush that nullifies many of the flight advantages of a gargoyle. The IQ 15 wizard could be a beginning character, but this is seedy work for a wizard. Still, one could be found often, especially among the greedy goblins. I'll make some adjustments to the characters I've drawn up so that they have readied daggers. That sounds like a good idea. Very helpful. |
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02-10-2021, 06:56 AM | #22 |
Join Date: Jul 2018
Location: Hyattsville, Maryland
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Re: Gargoyle hunting
What about Bola or Lasso (or maybe Net & Trident) as a gargoyle hunter skill. If gargoyles fly via limited levitation, would a bola/lasso hit on their wings (or a net entanglement) help bring them down?
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02-10-2021, 08:49 AM | #23 | |
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Pacheco, California
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Re: Gargoyle hunting
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It's one of the odd breakpoints in Legacy edition like Fencer where the advanced combat talents were made cheaper, easier and more effective. Light Crossbow sniper vs gargoyle worked example: Flying target is -4 to be hit minus another point per 10 feet (ITL 104) So 32 hexes straight up is adjDX 14 -4 (flying) -12 (height) -4 (distance with ITL 125 adjustment for Missile Weapons) = adjDX -6 (hope for an automatic hit at best) Second turn the gargoyle is 16 hexes above the sniper so adjDX is 14 -4 (flying) -6 (height) -3 (distance) = adjDX 1 (hope for an automatic hit at best) Third turn the gargoyle lands on the sniper and hence they are in HTH so no third crossbow shot.
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02-10-2021, 09:29 AM | #24 | |
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Boston area
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Re: Gargoyle hunting
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It's a good question though. |
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02-10-2021, 09:36 AM | #25 | |
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Boston area
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Re: Gargoyle hunting
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In grounded combat, an unengaged figure must first move adjacent and then initiate HTH. If he becomes engaged at this point, he can't enter HTH until the action phase. I'd think that the gargoyle has to become engaged prior to initiating HTH. That gives the crossbowman one shot at DX 14. If he has allies adjacent, then they can strike as well. (Striking prior to HTH is important, since I've houseruled that the +4DX for prone figures does not count when striking into a hex with an ally in HTH.) I'm uncertain on all this, so let me know if there's a rule that a flying figure dropping on an enemy can go directly into HTH in the movement phase. My gut says not. |
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02-10-2021, 10:26 AM | #26 | |
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Pacheco, California
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Re: Gargoyle hunting
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Also "flying creatures are not engaged by grounded ones unless they wish to be" (ITL 104) Hence the gargoyle can use "If the attacking figure is disengaged, this is a regular move." (ITL 116) rather than "A figure must stop its movement for the turn when it becomes “engaged”" (ITL 103) followed by "If the attacking figure is engaged, he may shift onto a figure engaging him to attempt HTH" (ITL 116) or "(o) ATTEMPT HAND-TO-HAND ATTACK. During the movement phase, the figure stands still or shifts; when its turn to attack comes, it moves onto the hex of any adjacent enemy, and attempts to hit with bare hands or (if it was ready) its dagger." (ITL 103) (I'm really confused about the difference between these two personally). So the gargoyle attempts to move into the hex, followed by the die roll for HTH response at ITL 116/117 (Rerolling 6s due to entering from above rather than in front)
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02-10-2021, 12:13 PM | #27 |
Join Date: Apr 2020
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Re: Gargoyle hunting
Something for tactical consideration as a feature of TFT, though slightly out of the run of the mill here, is the potential application of a figure size adjustment. Reflected in the initial evaluation by phiwum, gargoyles are pointedly rated larger than mansize creatures throughout the rules, being of a physical not just figurative ST and massiveness at least 1/3 bigger. The counter for its figure is appropriately that of the full size markers shown in the Heniochus & Troll example, while a suitable human marker would be more hex contained, like that of the pikeman illustration. For a sample mechanic, in a confrontation of smaller to larger the larger figure could be given a +1 to hit or be hit through its corner- faced hexsides (left or right front or side), while the smaller is given a -1 to hit or be hit through its flatedge- faced hexsides (center front or rear).
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02-10-2021, 01:36 PM | #28 | |
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Boston area
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Re: Gargoyle hunting
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Sure does make gargoyles pretty darned good starting characters. Flight, natural armor and a punch equivalent to a broad sword. Drop in on a character for HTH (which fails 1/3 of the time) and no matter how good his weapon is, you've got a 2d attack against a fella which has a 1d-1 attack if he's lucky enough to have a dagger ready (higher for fine daggers, of course). No choice on your starting stats and a low IQ, but still, pretty darned good. No need to waste valuable IQ points on weapon skills either! |
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02-10-2021, 02:06 PM | #29 |
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Pacheco, California
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Re: Gargoyle hunting
Eight memory points minus two for Common and Literacy leaves six spells. (And possibly Brawling at 2d+1 damage.)
The real scenario has Gargoyles hunting for human kids to hand over to the chemists for $300 a head. (Don't really need the rest of the kid, unless it's an orc kid.)
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-HJC |
02-10-2021, 07:18 PM | #30 | |
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Boston area
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Re: Gargoyle hunting
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May make a good crossbowman. He can escape anyone who engages him and if necessary fire from the air (at -4DX, so that's a desperation move with his starting stats). If he chooses not to disengage, he drops the crossbow and uses his 2d fists (no need to ready a weapon at all). |
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