Opponents as terrain

[Ed]

I was reading the rules about treating multiple opponents as terrain, and it wasn't quite gelling for me. Can somebody give a good example run-through?

I guess my main question regards when this kicks in and for what. Is it to roll so you only have to engage one of them in the round by getting the others out of position behind him? Or is this just a penalty you are rolling against to avoid even greater dice pool loss than you get from splitting versus opponents? Or something else that I am missing?

[Lyrax]

Okay, when you're fighting two opponents, you have three choices.

A) Split your CP between the two of them.  This would mean blocking two attacks out of the same pool... usually fatal.

B) Take a die or two, a la terrain, and roll against a TN dependant upon your speed and number of opponents.  Succeeding means you only have to fight one opponent.

C) Run.

[Valamir]

B) Take a die or two, a la terrain, and roll against a TN dependant upon your speed and number of opponents.  Succeeding means you only have to fight one opponent.

addendum:

...for that exchange.



The flexibility of this system is beyond compare.  In addition to the obvious "run around the table/pillar/cart" trick you can use these mechanics to cover all sorts of situations.

Feats of derring do:  Cut the drapes on someones head, pull the carpet out from under their feet, knock a candleabra into them, kick a chair at them, swing away from one to attack the other...etc.

My personal best use of the technique is when my huntsman character was caught poaching and was accosted by 2 guards.  I threw the gutted deer corpse at one of them and attacked the other.

[Lance D. Allen]

When I first saw the phrasing of this topic, this phrase popped into my head:

Opponents as terrain? Heck, best way I know to do that is to knock 'em down and step on 'em

Begs the question of exactly what sort of terrain the "fallen bodies of your foes" would count as...

Aside from that silliness, Valamir has a really, really good point. For more cinematic scenes, terrain rolls to literally use your environment against your foes, ala cutting drapes to fall on them (or the infamous chandelier) or kicking a chair in their direction is much more interesting than simply maneuvering around so that you only have to deal with the one opponent for the time being. I've used the terrain rules once, in the very first fight of my campaign wherein the Cymry barbarian decided to challenge a whole bar to a fight... and three Stahlnish officers took him up on it. He rolled to outmanuever two of them, and broke the ranking officer's collarbone with the flat of his greatsword. (It was a good thing that he chose to do non-lethal damage, 'cause another PC was standing nearby with a bow, drawing a bead on him...)

I think I shall definitely make the idea of quite literally using your environment as a terrain roll known in future games of TRoS. It will enhance the already awesome battle system no end.

"Oh, so you boys are with the foresters? Here... hold this!"

Priceless.

[Lyrax]

even better, you might require your players to describe in detail what they are doing to outmaneuver their opponents (but only when that would be interesting...)