Combat/Magic Questions

[StahlMeister]

Hi Friends!

Here are some questions I have. Please don't feel angry if they were handled in another thread. Did not found it.

1.) Three players of my groud attacked one orc (cruel, aren't they). As GM I decided the one who attacked from behind got an DTN Bonus of -3. Additionally the orc divided his DCP between the two other combatants. The result was a deasasting effect of the spear the orc had in his back (I think a margin of 7 successes or something).
Did I used the rules correctly?
Is there something like an bonus when attacking from behind?

2.) Ok. An Fey Elf is immortal. When he ages due to casting magic. Where is hios age limit. Does it make sense to play an human sorcerer when for example an shiehe who gets about 300 years old can cast more than 3 times as many spells?

Thanks for Your kind help!

[Spartan]

1.) Three players of my groud attacked one orc (cruel, aren't they). As GM I decided the one who attacked from behind got an DTN Bonus of -3. Additionally the orc divided his DCP between the two other combatants. The result was a deasasting effect of the spear the orc had in his back (I think a margin of 7 successes or something).
Did I used the rules correctly?
Is there something like an bonus when attacking from behind?

That sounds reasonable, though perhaps a dice bonus would have been more appropriate... the CP bonus for higher ground is +2 (I think), so maybe an extra 3-5 dice would have been ok instead.  Either way the orc is dead, so not much would have changed.  DO what feels right, and you should be OK, as long as your players know your judgements will change over time as you get a better feel for the rules. :)

2.) Ok. An Fey Elf is immortal. When he ages due to casting magic. Where is hios age limit. Does it make sense to play an human sorcerer when for example an shiehe who gets about 300 years old can cast more than 3 times as many spells?

Well, the Fey age the same amount when they cast magic, so I'd just appley it to them the same way I would to a human, so an elf with 10 years of aging would appear as an 18 year old human, with all the benefits thereof.  A Fey with 100 years of aging would be on death's door, if not dead already.

But I'm no authority on Fey-ness, so I could be way wrong. :)

-Mark

[StahlMeister]

Thanks Spartan for the quick answer.

But one question to Your 2nd answer. I don't know if I understood it correct.
You mean, aging from magic effects every race with the same effects. eg. a human aging  to his age limit is the same like an fey aging to his age limit but the fey doesn't have to suffer CP and skill and attribute penalties until he or she reached his limit?

[Lxndr]

That's how I see it.
That's why a Sorcerous Fey is "A" priority, while a sorcerous human is "B".  The Fey are simply BETTER at it, 'cause aging isn't as big a deal.

[Mike Holmes]

Uh, I was under the impression that it was a big deal.

That is, think of Fey as having the same age limit as humans, but they don't actually age at all under normal conditions. Think unaging, not immortal. What this means, is that, they're all about 20 years old or something. When they get hit with aging, they age to the appropriate age. So if a Fey had the misfourtune to age 10 years through spell casting, he's now effectively 30 with all the limitations that this implies.

This would explain why the Fey don't rule the world. They probably could, but then they'd die out maintaining it. Why use your magic for other than desperate situations if it means that you don't get to live forever (and have to suffer hardships of age that you could otherwise avoid)?

Humans don't have this limitation. They age in any case. So, for them, Magic is just a trade off speeding up an extant process.

There was a thread on just this subject that I can't seem to find...

Mike

[MonkeyWrench]

How come fey don't get bonus dice to reduce the effects of aging like halflings? If they actually don't age normally you'd think they would get a better chance to resist aging unaturally.

[Brian Leybourne]

Yeah, I like your thinking Mike. Essentially, being immortal, the Fey have more to lose by agng through sorcery (they're giving up immortal youthfulness, where as humans are just speeding up an inevitable process) thus the Fey are more reluctant to use aging magic than humans. Nice.

As for the original first question, sounds like you handled it perfectly (the Seneschal's decision on the night is always the best one). Myself, I would have let the Orc do a terrain roll to see if he could somehow maneuver himself around so as to only face one opponent. If he failed, he would have to face two, and if he botched, all three (that's in the book, actually). He then has to split his dice among the ones he has to face, and the others can't attack him at all this round (they're behind each other, or whatever).

He still would have died, of course (3-on-1), so the effect is much the same anyway :-)

Brian.

[Spartan]

How come fey don't get bonus dice to reduce the effects of aging like halflings?

Hybrid strength. ;)

-Mark

[StahlMeister]

@Brian

Yes. It seems I have to read again the chapter with the terrain throws. I think TROS is the first game I know, where those situations are handled like this. But it seems right!
But if I understood the rules correct (sorry, grammar question: is it "correct" or "correctly"?), let's say the orc failed the terrain roll has to divide his combat pool between Character A and B, while character C throws in all his masterwork longsword CP into the orcs back.
But in any case, effect would be the same. Maby a little more "splashing".
Uhhh! Live of an orc isn't easy!

[Brian Leybourne]

But if I understood the rules correct (sorry, grammar question: is it "correct" or "correctly"?), let's say the orc failed the terrain roll has to divide his combat pool between Character A and B, while character C throws in all his masterwork longsword CP into the orcs back.
But in any case, effect would be the same. Maby a little more "splashing".
Uhhh! Live of an orc isn't easy!

"Correctly"

No, you're almost right but mising the point. Essentially, it goes like this:

* Orc has three opponents
* Orc therefore makes terrain roll. Note that the TN is higher because there are 3 opponents instead of 2, etc.
* Success means he only has to face one oppponent this round, he has maneuvered so that the other two have got in each others' way or fallen behind etc.
* Failure means he has to face two opponents, but the third (and fourth, and fifth, and sixth, if there were any...) can't be involved.
* Botch means three opponents (the maximum, unless you're talking dogs or wolves etc) face him.

So in your example above, failure means he splits his pool between A and B, and no, C cannot slip a sword in his back - C is not involved this round at all, he's trapped behind A and trying to get past, or has slipped over, or however else you want to justify it.

Brian.

[StahlMeister]

Ahh! Thanks, for helping me!
No I understand, at least. :)

Greetings from Europe...