Falco only has 2HP.

Player of Jori, your character has a high armor class (Plate Armor) - that is why I suggested her up front. The same with Reea.

We're first level characters - everyone has few HP. One hit will likely kill any of our characters.


However, Dynlor stepped up, so we still have a front rank.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:34, Sun 25 July 2021.

I would suggest the Elf casts his Sleep spell first.

If a Spider remains, then the ranged attackers should fire their missile weapons (focusing fire until one the Spider is dead, then switching to the other) and fall back.

Should there still be an active Spider, then the Magic-User can cast his sleep Spell on the remaining Spider. If both are taken out by the Elf's Sleep spell and/or the missile fire, then the Magic-User should preserve his Sleep spell--we might need it later.

The front line melee should only engage the Spiders to finish them if the Spiders are on the ropes, or if the Spiders engage the party and they have to defend themselves or the others.

We have to fight together as a team to minimize the risk of anyone getting killed.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:48, Sun 25 July 2021.

Okay, so first combat in this game we'll take it slow and all remember how this works.

Sleep has a range of 240 feet, so that should not be in issue.  Nonetheless, Initiative comes first.  Someone roll 1d6 for the party initiative.  The spiders rolled a 6, but they don't have ranged weapons that can go that far.  If you guys roll a 6 also we roll off.  At what range will you cast the sleep, keeping in mind that you all have a move of 120 feet.  So if you cast from maximum range it is two rounds until anyone can be in melee range (attacking on round 3.)

Falco Mugwort rolled 6 using 1d6.  party initiative.

Falco Mugwort rolled 1 using 1d6.  party initiative rolloff.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:57, Mon 26 July 2021.

Before initiative shouldn't we declare actions? Spellcasting must be declared before the roll.

No, in this version Initiative comes first, then the party that wins initiative does stuff.  However, spells are second to last last in the round, right before melee, and movement is first.  So if you want to melee this round you need to move up before the spell goes off.

Spiders rolled 2 on the roll off, they will have the initiative.  But no for much, they are not moving off the webs or trees around the webs, so until you come into range, they are not attacking.


09:50, Today: Dungeon Master rolled 2 using 1d6.  Initiative roll off

So is that a house rule that spellcasters don't declare spellcasting before Initiative? This change in the rules will affect the opportunity for characters and monsters to disrupt spellcasters.

I'd assume we'd want to cast the spell from as far away as possible - if the spiders move 120' then that would give us two rounds of missile fire at them, assuming any of them survive the spell and decide to come at us. If they both fall asleep it doesn't matter, but if we have a little breathing room let's use it.

Leozaren is AC3 but has only 2 HP, and doesn't have a bow!

In reply to Gyp Toogood (msg # 141):

Here is the combat sequence from p. B24 of the D&D Basic book:



That is the book I am using.  Not a house rule, no declarations before initiative.

The declaration before Initiative is on page X11.

BTW, I don't mean for Falco to sound 'bossy'. No one else seemed willing to step up and I felt the group needed to approach the clearly dangerous foes in an organized manner. Feel free to 'speak up' if anyone has a better plan.

Very happy to have a party leader. Gyp will follow Falco.

The road is about ten feet wide.  The wagons used in the Realm are  six feet wide, though the wheels end up being about seven wide.  At ten feet it is easy enough for a rider to pass, though it gets tricky with wagons.

That puts the spiders about 10 feet apart as well.

Stopping to the light the torches will take a couple of rounds.  Let's call it two: one to get everything out and one to actually light it.  That was rounds 2 and 3.  You are 80 feet away, the spiders haven't moved.  Actions for Round 4?

To the DM: A sleep spell lasts 4-16 turns. Is a turn ten minutes? A round is one minute, right?

To the group: Any sleeping character or creature will awaken if slapped, kicked, or shaken.

Might that include being in the middle of a fire?

Characters can kill a sleeping victim with a single blow of any edged weapon, regardless of the creature's hit points.

Maybe sending two people, one for each spider, along with a torch as back up, to just finish off the creatures, is better?

Reea doesn't want to get chomped.

Seems like a good plan.

Falco just isn't sure if the spiders are really asleep, or remaining motionless to lure the party in, since he doesn't know anything about how magic works.

Also, apparently Falco is the only one with a long melee weapon? Who can move into melee to stick the spiders without getting stuck in the webbing?

I'm suspicious about the spiders, too. It seems a lower form like that might not actually sleep.

Sleep spell lasts turns of 10 minutes each, rounds are 1 minute each.

Where is the rule about killing a sleeping victim?

Within the Sleep spell description.

In reply to Falco Mugwort (msg # 154):

Ah yes.  Sometimes I forget how disorganized the rules are in these old games.

Like Falco stated, killing a sleeping victim is in the spell description.

My only suggestion is to kill one spider at a time. Kill one then more on to the other. Better to have one awake and one sleep if things go wrong than have both awake. The sleep description suggests that you have to get close to kill them as it states 'Bladed' weapon not any weapon. So I think it implies slitting their throats. This is something Gyp is good at doing, he can move silently and backstab, if someone lent him a dagger...

At first level, without maximum hit points, and no healing spells, how are our characters going to survive this module?