Seeing what it did for Miss Congeniality? Naaah, hard pass. Incidentally, I apologize for being so tardy, IRL is getting very intense these days. I expect this will be over soon and you'll get more Sassy Dark Elf representation soon.

Wow, this is indeed a brutal system! Thanks for the GM fiat, I would hate to lose Jerec so quickly. Just from a rules perspective though, doesn't the foliage provide any type of cover?

I'm going to wait for Syndelia to post first before taking action (but if she is still busy I'll go ahead and make a move).

Another thing, isn't there a tree trunk nearby Jerec can take cover behind? And now that a bolt was fired can he at tell how far away the shooter is (in movement)?

It would be Dralda's Bastards that would get the cover from foliage, as they're the ones hiding behind the fallen trees.  And even if the Crowned Warrior had gotten cover, it wouldn't have been enough to stop the fatal blow.  Dralda rolled that well.

As for Jerec, now that he has a point of reference, he can totally see the visual clues.  The ambushers are still in hiding, but he can make out where they are.

A question about positioning: the two Bastards that are have been sent to find Syn, are they actually headed in my direction, or are they moving away from me? To know if I need to further lure them away, or I can stay where I am, nock a shaft and and send my warmest regards to Dralda.

Dralda and two of her Bastards are still hiding in/behind the tree in the middle of the Old Road.  Her two other Bastards went off in different directions.  There's only one near you, and he doesn't seem to have noticed you.  But if you make an attack, there's a good chance you'll be in the fray before long.  Bows are quiet, but not silent, and this person is actively searching for you.

If you make an attack, you'll get the better end of the Surprised Condition as well as either Flanking or Rear positional bonus, depending on where you think you are.  I imagine that you're parallel to Dralda now, which would be Flanking.  You'd have to leave the tree cover to get a Rear attack.

I'm in the process of making a post but have another question: As we knew we were under threat then could Jerec hypothetically have cast Magic Shield as a quickened instantaneous spell (page 129) and if so, could he have survived?

I think you misunderstand just how well Dralda rolled.  Penalties are taken out before determining the maximum roll for a weapon.  She was well in the 200s.

No time to Aim, then?

You said you've been busy, so I won't hold that against your character.  Based on the timing, I'd say you may have been aiming for a few rounds.

Thanks for your understanding.

Also, roll above 200, you said?

Wait, uh, she has arrow immunity?  Yeah!  Dralda is totally immune to arrows.  I had this planned from the beginning.

Silly me, how could I forget the electromagnetic repulsion field of her chainmail?

Syndelia, for the sake of story, I'll allow you to spend a drive point to select a different, lower critical strike.  If you intended to take her alive, I'm sure you would have aimed as such.  As it stands, Dralda will be dead before too long and none of you are capable of saving her.

And since that would be pursuing my Motivation (Finding Dralda's stash), wouldn't that give me some Drive too?

Is Dralda wearing a helmet? If so, I'd lower it to 130:

Strike to the forehead. If the target's wearing helm: +8 Damage, knocked unconscious for 30 minutes. If not: skull fractured, target unconsious and dies in 10 minutes.

If she's not, then I think my best option is 131-136:

Strike to the rear of the knee tears ligaments and damages muscle. Target's Prone, -60 activity, +8 Damage, 3 Bleed, and Stunned.

Which would mean she's unable to get up from the floor and participate in the fight or flee, right?

@Narrator: How far away are the bandits from where Jerec is standing in meters?

Dralda was not wearing a helmet, nor are any of her companions.  If you take out her knee, she'll be down for the count.  And with bleeding, she won't last long.

Jerec, you WERE about 25m away, so I'd say you're about 15m away now.

Crikey, this is much harder than just killing people... How long will she last with Bleed 3? Is that a wound we can dress with a torn piece of shirt once the fight is over?

So if I'm not mistaken, it was Dralda + 4. Dralda suffered The Skyrim Fate, two of his minions quit on the spot (are they staying, walking out?). The remaining two were looking for me - Jerec fried the one that was getting closer, and the other one went into the forest.

About that last one - shall I roll Perception to find him? Stealth to stalk him from behind? Or is he already long gone?

Gang, I hate to do this, but I'm going to be closing down this game.  I'm sure some of you are already part of the other Against the Darkmaster game currently being run, and I hope to see you all as players in other games!

FWIW, I'm not in any other AtD game. May I ask why are you closing down the game? Have we gone off the rails that badly?

I've noticed for a week or two now that my heart just hasn't been in the game, and I'd rather focus my energies elsewhere.  You guys weren't off the rails at all!  Maybe not taking the route I expected, but heading in the right direction.

Well that was unexpected......

I'm loving the game but its your choice Narrator, but perhaps take a short break and come back to it? In the meantime you can advertise for a new player or two to pick up for the ones who dropped off earlier (it would add vitality)?

Again, your choice. Its your right to end it completely if your hearts not in it (and/or if RL is getting in the way)

Care to elaborate why your heart wasn't in the game? Maybe we're moving too slow or too fast? Is there anything we could do about it to help you find that spark again, so you have fun too GMing?

Naturally, if your decision is firm then that's it, but tbh personally I think it'd be a shame, I was having a lot of fun and I think all the characters are super interesting and I'm keen on pursuing that plot.