Subject: MYSTARA-L Digest - 2 May 2005 to 3 May 2005 (#2005-90) From: Automatic digest processor Date: 04/05/2005, 17:00 To: Recipients of MYSTARA-L digests Reply-to: Mystara RPG Discussion There are 6 messages totalling 253 lines in this issue. Topics of the day: 1. An Elvish community? (2) 2. Ochalea (are you sick of it yet) 3. Ochalea 4. An Elvish community? I.S.S. 5. Mass combat (courtesy of GH list) ******************************************************************** The Other Worlds Homepage: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/OtherWorlds.asp The Mystara Homepage: http://www.mystaranet.jamm.com/vaults/default.aspx To unsubscribe, send email to LISTSERV@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM with UNSUB MYSTARA-L in the body of the message. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 3 May 2005 10:43:36 +0200 From: Altair IV Subject: An Elvish community? Beg your pardon, but how many Elves... er... Italians are there in the List? I subscribed just 10 days ago, and I've already "met" Giampaolo, Federico, Angelo, Giulio, Gabriele and Francesco... it's pretty unusual to cross the ocean and find myself at home! ^_* Altair IV - the Darkstar ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 3 May 2005 10:43:49 +0200 From: Francesco Defferrari Subject: Re: Ochalea (are you sick of it yet) Steven Carter wrote: > I submit that the name comes from Lord Palam Ochal, King-Priest of the > Province of Ochal. The province on Alphatia Prime was conspicuously > mystical in outlook and promoted dialog, integration and elemental > harmony. Probably very scholarly. Perhaps even partly responsible for > the infamous scholastic debates. (snip) Seems a very interesting story. Some time ago I wrote an history of Old Alphatia, http://www.mystaranet.jamm.com/vaults/html/oldalph.html, maybe the alphatian Ochaleans could be from one of the Gaian kingdoms conquered by Atlantia. So earth magic could be quite common in Ochalea bye Francesco ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 3 May 2005 07:04:30 -0300 From: Steven Carter Subject: Re: Ochalea The theme I am looking at is a conscious balance of earth, fire, water and air magics arrived at through mystical, religious contemplation and pious scholarly study. Also, a balance of nature versus civilization. Harmonious co-existence. But earth and water magic are both quite common and probably moreso than either air or fire. In this respect I can easily see the druid, shaman and a divine wizard existing as classes for Ochalea. Someday I'll get around to writing the modified classes. I think some Ochaleans are capable of arcane wizardry but they are hermits and generally automatically considered villains by the common people. Beitung might be a little more forgiving since it's the capital, probably sees a lot more foreigners and has to be more cosmopolitan in attitudes to conduct trade. I read your Old Alphatia article. When I read it a little while ago and wasn't sure if anyone, yourself included, had done anymore with it. It goes back a lot farther than I want to explore but it certainly meshes right now. On 5/3/05, Francesco Defferrari wrote: > Seems a very interesting story. Some time ago I wrote an history of Old > Alphatia, http://www.mystaranet.jamm.com/vaults/html/oldalph.html, maybe = the > alphatian Ochaleans could be from one of the Gaian kingdoms conquered by > Atlantia. So earth magic could be quite common in Ochalea ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 3 May 2005 16:31:37 +0200 From: la Volpe Subject: Re: An Elvish community? --- Altair IV ha scritto: > Beg your pardon, but how many Elves... er... > Italians are there in the List? Not elves, my friend. Citizens of the Thyatian Empire or descendents of Citizens, like Caurenzans or Espa...8-) Giulio aka Iulius Sergius Scaevola Captain of the XXth Cohort Port Lucinuius, Thyatis ___________________________________ Nuovo Yahoo! Messenger: E' molto più divertente: Audibles, Avatar, Webcam, Giochi, Rubrica… Scaricalo ora! http://it.messenger.yahoo.it ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 3 May 2005 16:58:53 +0200 From: Altair IV Subject: An Elvish community? I.S.S. >> Beg your pardon, but how many Elves... er... >> Italians are there in the List? > Not elves, my friend. Citizens of the Thyatian Empire > or descendents of Citizens, like Caurenzans or > Espa...8-) Oh! I didn't mean to find corrispondences between Mystarian races and real nationalities... it was just connected to something somebody (it was "Vinicius"?) said, that is us speaking English was like Elves speaking Common... Altair IV - the Darkstar ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 3 May 2005 13:14:50 -0700 From: Brendan Corliss Subject: Mass combat (courtesy of GH list) One of my players is also a DM in Greyhawk, so he is active on the GH equivalent of this list. He forwarded this message from their list and I thought it was interesting enough to share here: Options for Massed Combat ------------------------- For resolving most mass combat situations (other than very large scale battles, such as sieges or conflicts between entire armies) I simply use dice odds. Against a pc with AC 20, a group of 20 monsters with a +1 bonus to hit will inflict two hits on the target- roll for damage. As a "20" always hits, even monsters that need a "20" to hit will hit 1 in 20 times(with a chance to critical if yet another "20" is rolled after the first). As it seems really lame that the massed hordes will simply line up and let high level pc's butcher them, I have a method of resolving this as well. Most massed forces will simply "press in" on an inferior number of opponents, with the aim of disarming and capturing them. I resolve this as follows: A group of four 10th level fighters stand back-to-back in four adjacent squares in the middle of a field as they fight off an orc horde of 200. There is no way that all 200 orcs can wield their weapons in close combat, yet they will not simply form a line to be butchered a few at a time by the four fighters. Using their massed numbers, the orcs will "press in" on the four fighters. In game terms this is represented by the orcs making a Grapple Attack against each fighter. Each orc in base-to-base contact may attempt such an attack against one of the fighters. The fighter will usally only have once attack of opportunity to stave off one Grapple attempt(in the press of massed combat, Combat Reflexes is worth its weight in gold!) If the Grapple Attack hits, the grappling orc gains a synergy bonus of +2 to Hold and Maintain the Grapple for each orc in a roughly direct line behind them, representing the crush of numbers. A failed Grapple attempt does nothing as usual. The +2 synergy bonus is only gained if the target being attacked has no open spaces to retreat to- they have to be completely surrounded by either friendly or enemy models or hemmed in by terrain, such as being up against a wall. Spaces occupied by friendly models are not considered to be open unless the friendly model is prone due to death/incapacitation. If there are any open spaces and a successful Grapple attempt cannot be Held, the target is instead pushed into an adjacent open space, regardless of its orientation- the target may fall back or step aside at their choice without provoking any attack of opportunity. The Grappling models are advanced forward by one space to take up the space vacated by the pushed back target. This may eventually lead to a target being pushed into a space without any other open spaces adjacent to it, in which case the target is in really big trouble. In any event, the round after the pc is successfully Grappled and Held, they will likely be Pinned by most of the orcs, while a few within base-to-base contact may attempt to disarm the character with a +4 bonus to their roll to do so, as per the regular options available to be used against a Pinned opponent. Eventually the pc will be disarmed of most of their weapons and/or equipment. Capture is imminent against such superior numbers. In the above instance heroic resistance against such odds will see many orcs dead in the attempt, but in the end the orcs will in all likelihood win out and the pc will be dragged down and either be hacked to pieces or captured(I usually opt for capture). This method of handling things allows for “heroic resistance”, but not in the face of insurmountable numbers. The main key for pc’s is DON’T GET SURROUNDED! So, under the above example, even the most powerful of warriors can be dragged down by the massed horde of weenies. Beware the "kobold wave attack"! At least the kobolds suffer from the size difference penalty and a low STR score to begin with, but in large enough numbers, even the lowly kobold can drag down a larger opponent. If you choose to use this system make your players aware of how it works. A simple demonstration out of game usually suffices. This will put the fear of large groups of wimpy monsters into them. They will see the danger of taking on entire villages of humanoids or entire armies on their own. They may do a lot of damage, but they will be killed or captured in the end. To avoid such a fate, you will more often see the wizard fireball the horde of wimpy monsters just to thin their ranks and allow the pc’s a chance for a successful "heroic resistance". In my opinion, this is as it should be. It makes for much more exciting game play as well. May all your endeavors be Gold! __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com ------------------------------ End of MYSTARA-L Digest - 2 May 2005 to 3 May 2005 (#2005-90) *************************************************************