DF Novices, Team-A, Session 58 - Troll demands tribute

    ....Wizard casts fireball in response. Negotiation over. GM calls for initiative.

We played tonight. Hopefully we will get an in-character report from one or more of the players. In the meantime, I will post a screenshot.

Session Date:    Tuesday 19 December 2023

Party roster:

Ben, half-ogre barbarian, 177 points (PC)
Doran Longbeard, dwarf warrior (knight), 203 points (PC)
Eleanor Bayley, human thief, 233 points (PC)
- Dagne Timar, human priestess of Metallys (cleric), 147 points (NPC Hireling)
Erizax Ofaris, human wizard, 232 points (PC)
Randall, human veteran (knight), 157 points (NPC)
Maximilian "Stout" Grupher III, goblin cleric of Ishtanna, 121 points (PC)
Merrill Tangled Tail, cat-folk martial artist, 140 points (PC)

Campaign Date:    27 November, Year 645 of the Vycenaean Empire.

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With the wizard having created a fireball at the end of his staff, combat then commenced. The group prepared to face the troll whichever way round the pool it came, while the clerics cast Armour spells to buff the PCs. Then the party members started running in both directions, scrabbling to get quickly around the sometimes narrow ledges at high speed. The troll saw this and chose to come towards the fire-toting wizard, rather than the other way, toward the half-ogre barbarian. Erizax has not yet thrown the fireball with which he initiated hostilities.

The first actual attack was a charge from the troll, swinging its greataxe and just getting enough for a successful move and attack. Merrill parried the troll's axe with his Fine quarterstaff, and the staff saved him, but unfortunately it was destroyed in the attempt (1 in six chance on 1d6 against a heavy weapon, rolled a one). He then tried a Kiai to stun the troll, and spent an Impulse Point to succeed, but the troll made its save by a higher margin of success. Merrill is now facing a bigger, much stronger opponent, unarmed and currently 1v1.

We paused the session there, after 5 turns. The below screenshot is the map at the start of turn six.

This is going to be interesting!

If the fight were in an open field, then the group could easily surround the troll and do sufficient damage to put it down fairly easily, is my feeling. However, situation counts for a lot. Here the troll can face the party in smaller groups, or even 1v1. In this encounter, the troll may be able to remove one or two combatants from the fight before it has to deal with Ben, and that will give it a much better chance on beating the half-ogre down when it faces him.