Being the Official Discussion Forum for HYPERBOREA®, a role-playing game of swords, sorcery, and weird science-fantasy
Visit us at the HYPERBOREA web site!
1 of 1- Handy Haversack
- The Monster of the Prophecy
Offline 
- From: beyond the nighted gulfs
- Registered: 3/07/2014
- Posts: 1,799
Rope as Weapon
My players got in waaaaay over their heads--a first- and second-level party with one magic item against four wights! Ah, the rewards of nonlinear adventures! Actually, some bears were helping them out to honor the fallen shaman, but still. At any rate, with only the one magic weapon and having used up the few spells they had, they were at a loss as to how to attack. One of them decided to fashion a lasso and at least try to entangle the wights until someone more capable could get to them. I decided this could work--the rope wouldn't damage the wight, and there were rules in place for dealing with the situation: the whip.
I basically used the whip rules but gave the PC -2 to hit (I would have increased this dramatically for nonfighters and non-fighter-subclass PCs) and then gave the targets an additional +2 on their Avoidance saves. The dice were with them, though, and the warlock death soldier now goes by the epithet "the Wight Lyncher (You Have to See It Written Down)."
- Yora
- Adventurer
Offline
- From: Germany
- Registered: 4/06/2014
- Posts: 199
Re: Rope as Weapon
As to get the lassos on the weights, that seems appropriate. But I wouldn't treat them as securely tied up just like that.
Somebody would still have to go in close and bind their arms and legs before they get the ropes off. During that time, I probably would have the weights make their attacks only at -2 or -4. Good idea when you have no weapons to harm them, but there's still that nasty life draining at 2nd level.
"Steel isn't strong, boy. Flesh is stronger. What is steel compared to the hand that wields it?"
Spriggan's Den
- Handy Haversack
- The Monster of the Prophecy
Offline
- From: beyond the nighted gulfs
- Registered: 3/07/2014
- Posts: 1,799
Re: Rope as Weapon
Yora wrote:
As to get the lassos on the weights, that seems appropriate. But I wouldn't treat them as securely tied up just like that.
Somebody would still have to go in close and bind their arms and legs before they get the ropes off. During that time, I probably would have the weights make their attacks only at -2 or -4. Good idea when you have no weapons to harm them, but there's still that nasty life draining at 2nd level.
Actually, the other end of the rope was tossed over a statue's arm, and the wights were hauled up like food at a campsite. Since this required a feat of STR, they were able to attack or try to break free of the ropes until the roll was successful.
- •
Thread Starter- Ghul
- Dread Necromancer
Offline
- From: Isle of Ghul
- Registered: 3/01/2014
- Posts: 2,640
Re: Rope as Weapon
This thread is excellent. 
HYPERBOREA- A Role-Playing Game of Swords, Sorcery, and Weird Science-Fantasy
- Handy Haversack
- The Monster of the Prophecy
Offline
- From: beyond the nighted gulfs
- Registered: 3/07/2014
- Posts: 1,799
Re: Rope as Weapon
This thread is excellent.
I could believe neither that they got into that battle nor that they got out of it! But because they had thought to take the fallen shaman's bearskin totem and had offered it to a random-encounter bear, the next set of random bears actually accompanied them to the tomb, basically a suicide mission. The bears tried to overbear and keep the wights pinned while the PCs did whatever they could. And pushed to the wall, this is the sort of awesome they came up with.
- •
Thread Starter- Ghul
- Dread Necromancer
Offline
- From: Isle of Ghul
- Registered: 3/01/2014
- Posts: 2,640
Re: Rope as Weapon
This thread is excellent.
I could believe neither that they got into that battle nor that they got out of it! But because they had thought to take the fallen shaman's bearskin totem and had offered it to a random-encounter bear, the next set of random bears actually accompanied them to the tomb, basically a suicide mission. The bears tried to overbear and keep the wights pinned while the PCs did whatever they could. And pushed to the wall, this is the sort of awesome they came up with.
That sounds like a game session your crew will never forget! I certainly wouldn't. Thanks for sharing, Handy!
HYPERBOREA- A Role-Playing Game of Swords, Sorcery, and Weird Science-Fantasy
- Handy Haversack
- The Monster of the Prophecy
Offline
- From: beyond the nighted gulfs
- Registered: 3/07/2014
- Posts: 1,799
Re: Rope as Weapon
This thread is excellent.
I could believe neither that they got into that battle nor that they got out of it! But because they had thought to take the fallen shaman's bearskin totem and had offered it to a random-encounter bear, the next set of random bears actually accompanied them to the tomb, basically a suicide mission. The bears tried to overbear and keep the wights pinned while the PCs did whatever they could. And pushed to the wall, this is the sort of awesome they came up with.
That sounds like a game session your crew will never forget! I certainly wouldn't. Thanks for sharing, Handy!
I might even have the necromancer who has been behind a lot of the machinations for his own petty (really; let's face facts) purposes offer to raise one or two of the fallen (out of five for the session). With horrible, awful consequences, obviously. But good play should be rewarded!
- •
Thread Starter- francisca
- Swordsman
Offline
- Registered: 3/03/2014
- Posts: 423
Re: Rope as Weapon
Casino Royale.
That's all I'm saying.
© 2009-2024 North Wind Adventures, LLC. “HYPERBOREA” is a registered trademark of North Wind Adventures, LLC. “Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea,” “AS&SH,” and all other North Wind Adventures product names and their respective logos are trademarks of North Wind Adventures, LLC in the USA and other countries. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.