So, I finished playing with myself and I got inspired enough to do a write-up of the epic battle, read it at your own peril. In the end my Waywatcher was down to one wound and the Beastman took the final wound due to a chaos star as it chopped into the character. Pretty cool stuff. While it was awkward for a first run I really liked how the mechanic played out. Anyways, there’s a few questions that I couldn’t find an answer to (where relevant please give me page numbers if you can be bothered):
1. What is that white square in the characteristics of the adversaries? Is it as simple as a fortune die? I can’t find anything about it.
2. Disengaging – is there some roll to do or is it just a (free) manoeuvre?
3. Exactly what does the Critical Wound Ringing Skull mean when it says “The GM must add or remove one recharge token...”. I do not get why the GM would ever want to remove a recharge token. Isn’t that a good thing and something you want to happen?
4. Active defence, like dodge, does it work like a free reaction when someone hits you or wha?
I've got a more general question also. I used a generated player character (wood elf waywatcher) against a Gor warrior straight from the book. I had the Gor take critical wounds (meaning I flipped the card around and applied the actual critical wound modifier) but I felt it was perhaps a little on the light side. One of the bad things about a criticial wound is the awkward healing process and many of the negative modifiers never come into play for an (short lived) NPC. Do you reckon it is better to just skip critical wounds and add the an extra number of wounds equal to the severity rating (or however it is usually done)? I should say that my experience is likely coloured by the fact that I did not add the critical wound into the total amount of wounds but even though I know now they are counted against the total I still feel like they might lack a little oomph against regular NPCs.
Thanks in advance for your comments.
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He had of course visited Cairns many times before, but this was the first time he had neared one of the ancient stones as a Watcher. The time had finally come for him to take up the sacred duty of guarding this holy place and he could not help but feel a tingling tremor course through his body. Finally it was his time to protect his people and the forest as a true son of the Asrai!
He scolded himself for such childish thoughts and willed his body and mind to be still, to be one with the forest. He knew that they had chosen this Cairn because it was hidden deep and safe from the vile once-men things. He would not disrespect his duty or this place by foolishly wishing for a chance to prove himself in battle.
At first he did not trust what his senses told him. Then, when it was unmistakable that something large was picking its way through the forest towards the Cairn he was sure it would be a boar or maybe a bear. It was hard to tell because the sounds were slightly wrong. The shape was there but he could not quite picture it with his inner eye. Like a vague figure moving amongst the saplings and playing shadows in the season when the leaves had just started to return. It reminded him of his childhood and how his father had moved through the forest to teach him how the animals sounded. His father would become a dear, then a hare, then a fox and once, even a human.
He finally realised what it was a breath before he saw it through the foliage. It was close by then, an easy shot with his bow, no more. It surprised him that it was so big. Huge bulging muscles and long curved horns and yet it moved quiet, almost graceful as it picked its way through the undergrowth. He had grown up to hate and scorn it and its kind but now he remembered the other stories too, stories not only of deranged and murderous madness but of cunning and skill.
As he watched it, he saw it for the first time. The foul, vicious once-men from the stories but now also something more; a cunning creature of the forest and it pained him. He realised that this was no mere intruder, no matter how wretched a thing it was it shared the forest with him. With hatred he had never felt as a child he raised his bow and let lose. As the arrow hissed against it he wondered if this was the true lesson that they meant for him to learn.
With a quick sidestep the once-man dodged the arrow. He had missed! He could not believe it. He had missed a clear shot. It snorted and suddenly locked eyes with him! The world slowed down and he felt several heartbeats pass as they stared at each other. Then it bellowed and launched itself through the forest. It surprised him with its speed and for the first time in a very long time he felt the cold sensation of uncertainty grab hold of him.
As the second arrow shot towards it he made a back flip down from the tree and quickly dashed away from the Cairn. All he wanted was to put some distance between him and the once-man and he wondered if he was beginning to panic.
Then he heard it crash through the undergrowth and could smell its stink. He desperately tried to get out of the way but it was already on top of him! It did not even bother to use the rusted cleaver it was carrying but instead slammed into him with its horns. Badly bruised he flew several meters, barely registering least three cracked ribs. Finally he stopped thinking.
He drew and let lose again as it bore down upon him and he did not have time for a fourth shot but instead stabbed it with the arrow as it lunged for him with the cleaver. As the cleaver connected and flung him through the air he knew he would die. With the certainty came a terrible clarity. As if very far away he saw droplets of blood splayed through the air, he assumed it was his own. Through the foliage he saw the indigo blue sky up ahead and it made him smile. Then he saw the dusty leaves and the ground rushing up to meet him.
With the last of his strength he bounced back and got up again, one final time. Reaching for another arrow he realised that the once-man was unmoving on the ground before him. Watching the great brute laying face down on the ground almost paralyzed him and he fully expected it to be some ruse but he could not fathom how it would play out to its advantage.
It was only after several heartbeats had passed that he realised it was not getting up. He looked down upon his hands, one arrow on the bow, unreleased. It looked foolish but he felt nothing as his hands started to tremble and shake violently.