Mythras: Tarnen the Wanderer Part 5

Tarnen, a wandering adventurer is trying to solve the mystery of how an unemployed ropemaker, Anmah Yarvan was killed on the roadside south of the city of Queenstead. Faval, the gardener from the local temple of Asoth has accompanied him to a small forest outside the city to find a mysterious ranger who might be able to uncover clues as to what killed Yarvan. 

Scene 5 | Tanglewood Forest, The Downs | Year 645, 2nd of 7th Month | Chaos Factor: 5

For this scene we'll use the Ironsworn: Delve rules to make a forest "dungeon" that Tarnen and Faval will have to traverse to reach the ranger's cabin. I won't do a whole tutorial on Ironsworn: Delve here but I'll do my best to briefly explain each gameplay mechanic as we encounter it.

I've picked the Wild theme and the Tanglewood domain, so we should face the kind of dangers you'd find in a dark forest. It'll be a troublesome site so we'll fill in three progress boxes out of ten for each area we travel through. I've populated the denizens table with suitable creatures from the Mythras rulebooks. One thing I'm looking forward to in this campaign is giving myself a bit more control over the challenges my character faces, so I won't be rolling on any huge wandering monster tables where he could randomly have to fight a manticore or something.

Here's the table with creatures listed in order from common to rare:

  1. Arlob (See my campaign prep series on Youtube)
  2. Wolf
  3. Giant rat
  4. Boar
  5. Giant frog
  6. Flock of bats
  7. Swarm of rats
  8. Dryad
  9. Forgotten beast
Forgotten beast is a term from the PC game Dwarf Fortress. Under the ground (in the campaign world) is a hidden mythic underworld known as the Deep World. Strange randomly generated monsters occasionally emerge from the Deep World to roam the surface, and Tarnen is sure to encounter one at some point. I've got a few resources for generating weird monsters so I'll probably try them all out!

Tarnen begins by making the Delve the Depths Ironsworn move. If we were playing Ironsworn Tarnen would add his Wits to this move, so we'll make it a Mythras Perception check, since that's a similar concept. I'm going to let Tarnen and Faval both make skill checks and we'll use the better result, like rolling with advantage.

Delve the Depths
Tarnen makes a Perception check (25%): 57. Failure.
Faval makes a Perception check (36%): 73. Failure.
Miss.
Reveal a Danger: 28. Disturbing evidence of a victim's fate.

Tarnen and Faval enter the forest and head northeast, based on the rough directions given in the tavern. Soon enough the canopy starts to block out most of the sunlight and the undergrowth becomes thicker. "Look!" Faval says, pointing. Tarnen follows his finger and sees the remains of a deer on the forest floor. It looks as if it's been visciously savaged by something with large, sharp teeth. Faval shudders and clutches his large walking staff more tightly as they pass by the gory sight.

Delve the Depths
Tarnen makes a Perception check (25%): 60. Failure.
Faval makes a Perception check (36%): 30. Success!
Weak hit: Mark progress.
Site progress: 3/10

Delve the Depths
Tarnen makes a Perception check (25%): 26. Failure.
Faval makes a Perception check (36%): 48. Failure.
Weak hit: Miss.
Reveal a danger: 57. You encounter a hostile denizen.
Hostile encounter: 64. Boar

They trudge on through the woods some more before they spot something moving in the undergrowth some distance away. The bushes rustle as it pushes past them in the pair's direction, then stops, perhaps catching their scent before speeding up and starting to rush towards them. As it scrambles over a fallen tree trunk they catch sight of it: an enraged wild boar!

Tarnen scrambles for his bow and arrows. "You need a spear to hunt boar!" Faval says, panicking (A little Kingdom Come: Deliverance reference there). "Just stick by me and get your staff ready." Tarnen replies, his eye on the creature as it gets ever closer.

As discussed in the Youtube series, minor enemies like this will be treated as underlings as per the Mythras rules (p.111 of the core rulebook).

Entering combat!

Tarnen wields a longbow and wears scalemail (AP: 4) with a leather helmet (AP: 2).
Faval wields a walking staff and wears a thick traveller's robe equal to padded armour (AP: 2).
The boar fights with tusks and has bristled hide (AP: 2).

As the boar rushes towards the pair, Tarnen nocks an arrow to his longbow and shoots, but it sails past the boar and hits a tree behind it. He curses and takes another arrow from his quiver then looses a second time. This time the arrow pierces the boar's front leg, going right through it and remaining stuck there. The animal squeals in pain and slows its pace, but keeps charging at them.

Faval shouts a sort of improvised warcry and runs at the beast waving his hefty walking staff as Tarnen slings his bow over his shoulder and draws his sword and buckler, advancing towards the boar which has slowed to a stop several feet away in the undergrowth. Faval reaches it and swings his staff downwards, cracking it over the head just before Tarnen arrives and swings for it. The panicking boar turns its body at the last moment and receives a small cut to its reat leg. It lumbers about clumsily but manages to avoid a couple of attacks from the two men, but then Tarnen delivers a brutal upswing, opening its throat.

The boar makes a gurgling sound as blood gushes out of the wound, then collapses to the ground. "Better put it out of its misery." Tarnen says as he drives the point of his sword down into its head.

Combat Log

Initiative Phase
Tarnen: 23
Boar: 21
Faval: 13

Round 1

First Cycle

Free actions: Faval wards location: Chest

Tarnen's Turn
Tarnen attacks with longbow (-1 AP). The boar is 100 feet away, skill check is hard (-20%).
60 vs 49% 40% combat skill: Miss.

Boar's Turn
Boar moves 30 feet closer, to 70 feet distance (-1 AP).

Faval's Turn
Faval delays his action.

Second Cycle

Tarnen's Turn
Tarnen reloads his longbow (-1 AP).

Boar's Turn
Boar moves 30 feet closer, to 40 feet distance (-1 AP).

Faval's Turn
Faval delays his action.

Third Cycle

Tarnen's Turn
Tarnen is still reloading his longbow.

Boar's Turn
The boar has no action points left, it remains at 40 feet away from them.

Faval's Turn
Faval delays his action.

Fourth Cycle

Tarnen's Turn
Tarnen attacks with longbow (-1 AP).
72 vs 49% combat skill: Failure.
Tarnen spends a luck point to re-roll (Remaining luck points: 2)
30 vs 49% combat skill: Success!
Boar cannot parry (0 AP).

Differential roll: Tarnen has 1 success level (success vs miss)

Tarnen uses special effect Impale (Boar's skill rolls will be one grade more difficult while the arrow is stuck in it).

Tarnen rolls damage with advantage due to Impale: 5 damage to left front leg.
Boar automatically fails its Endurance check (Underling) and receives a serious wound to its left front leg. It is stunned for 2 turns (can still parry but not move or attack).

I rule that since it has 4 legs it doesn't fall prone but can only move at half speed.

Boar's Turn
The boar has no action points left, it remains at 40 feet away from them.

Faval's Turn
Faval moves 20 feet towards the boar (-1 AP). He sacrifices his last action point.

** Tarnen is 40 feet from the boar, Faval is 20 feet from it **

Round 2

First Cycle

Free actions: Faval wards location: Chest

Tarnen's Turn
Tarnen switches to his longsword and buckler and moves 20 feet towards boar 
(-1 AP).

Boar's Turn
The boar is stunned, can't attack. It delays its action.

Faval's Turn
Faval moves to engage the boar and attacks it with his walking staff (-1 AP).
2 vs 24% combat skill: Critical!
Boar parries (-1 AP).
13 vs 54% combat skill (-20% due to Impale): Success.

Differential roll: Faval has 1 success level (Critical vs success).

Faval uses special effect: Choose Location (Head)
Faval rolls damage: 8 damage to head. Half blocked by boar's parry, 2 absorbed by armour, total 2 damage.

Boar has received 2 wounds so it will retreat (Underling rules).

Second Cycle

Tarnen's Turn
Tarnen moves 20 feet towards boar and attacks with his longsword (-1 AP).
8 vs 49% combat skill: Success.
Boar parries (-1 AP).
17 vs 54% combat skill (-20% due to Impale): Success.

Differential roll: No success levels.

Tarnen rolls damage: 7 damage to rear right leg. Half blocked by boar's parry, 2 absorbed by armour. Total 1 damage.

Boar's Turn
Boar is stunned and in retreat but has no AP left.

Faval's Turn
Faval attacks the boar with his walking staff (-1 AP).
61 vs 24% combat skill: Failure.

Tarnen's Turn
Tarnen attacks the boar with his longsword (-1 AP).
79 vs 49%: Failure.

Third Cycle

Fatigue Check
Tarnen makes an Endurance check: 53 vs 32%: Failure.
Tarnen is winded. All skill rolls are now hard (-20%).

Faval makes an Endurance check: 18 vs 22%: Success.

Tarnen's Turn
Tarnen attacks the boar with his longsword (-1 AP).
13 vs 40% (Hard, -20%): Success.
Boar parries (-1 AP).
56 vs 54% combat skill (-20% due to Impale): Failure.

Differential roll: Tarnen has 1 success level (Success vs failure).

Tarnen uses special effect: Choose Location (Head)
Tarnen rolls damage: 4. 2 absorbed by armour. Total 2 damage.
Boar receives a serious wound to the head and is knocked out for 2 minutes.
Tarnen does a coup de grace.
End of combat

Wow! That combat took two evenings to finish, and they were only up against one underling! I'll probably use my judgment a lot when rolling up hazards and enemies on the Delve tables or we could end up having a series of long drawn out fights. Imagine I roll a hostile boar again in the next area - no thanks!

I think now would be a good time to give the pair some advancement rolls. We'll do that next time!

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