[furryoldlobster]

Welcome back, fellow Claytonians, to FurryOldLobster's D & D tutorial.  This section is dedicated to NPC encounters including (but not limited to) combat.  In the last chapter (yep I'm calling them chapters now), I showed you how to create a character.  I will be using my example character, Elle, again here. 

We touched on something called modifiers on the create a character topic.  These become very important, along with armor class (AC), during combat scenarios.  Lets dive right in...

WHAT THE HECK IS ARMOR CLASS ANYWAY?
Its a weird term for quantifying a how hard it is to land a solid hit.  Your AC is equal to the following...

10 + (armor and shield bonus) + dexterity modifier + size modifier

The higher the number means the more difficult you are to hit. 

Enemies have AC as well.  You need to roll a d20 score equal to or above the intended victims's AC in order to land a damaging blow. 

Example:
Elle, with her short sword unsheathed, approaches an unarmored limping, blind, but still quite evil, goblin.  This is an easy target, so the AC is substantially lower.  I need to roll a 2 or higher to land a successful hit.

I score a 19.  A 20 would have been something called a threat - a possible critical hit.  A 1 would be the opposite of a critical hit (and depending on the DM can have very humorous outcomes).  Picture trying to bow and arrow something and the string snaps sending the arrow blindly into the air.  That'd be rolling a 1. 

Regardless, I will definitely hit this poor goblin with my roll of 19.

Now that I've hit, I need to calculate how much damage I've done.  This depends on the current weapon, any feats affecting your skill of said weapon, and the ability modifier for the style of attack. 

Melee and ranged attacks use slightly different calculations based, respectively, on the abilities strength and dexterity.

melee is (base attack of weapon) + (feat) + (strength modifier)
and
ranged is (base attack of weapon) + (feat) + (dexterity modifier) + (range penalty if applicable)

A shortsword (this one at the very least), has a base attack of 1d4.  This means the base attack can do 1-4 dmg.  I roll a 4 and  I add in my strength modifier (-1 for my low 7 str) to finish the calculation.  The outcome dialogue might look similar to the following in-game...

Elle swings her short-sword at the limping beast, slicing its one remaining leg, incapacitating him.  Elle (perhaps due to her chaotic neutral alignment) quips, "You, know? I could never STAND goblins, and now...neither will you"  and walks off on her next adventure chuckling at her slightly clever pun.   

This is a super simplified version of a fight that doesn't include initiative.  Let's get a little more complicated...

Elle will encounter the same goblin, only not deaf, has all his legs, and a goblin buddy to join him. The initiative, or combat order, must be decided first.  The player rolls a d20 for his/her player, and the DM for any NPCs.  Elle rolls a 1, and the goblins 17 and 20. 

The uglier of the goblins draws its rusting blade and swings at Elle with the second close behind.  The first Elle easily dodges (based on rolls the DM made), but the second catches her by surprise and manages to slice her arm.  He does 3 damage. 

Elle targets the goblin who struck her (rolls a 19, and then a 3 for calculated dmg), and easily slices the goblin in half (goblins are pretty weak) spraying its putrid, sticky blood all over its ally. 

The standing goblin has been slightly blinded by the blood of his fallen ally and can't quite land a hit on Elle and stumbles in front of her (the DM rolled a 2 for him).  She backs up, recoils her blade and strikes at the now kneeling enemy.  This is a much easier target than one standing (I roll a third unnecessary 19, then a calculated 3 dmg).  With a single downward strike, Elle finishes her opponent. 

Modifiers aren't just for combat.  Since they represent how adept one is at a certain ability, modifiers can come into play quite often.  Anytime the player attempts to do just about anything, the DM can ask for a check.  Its just a roll of a d20 adding any modifiers that might apply.

Trying to get a storekeep to lower his prices by 5% (not a ridiculous request so the player must score a 15 or higher).  Roll a d20 and add any charisma modifier. Are you trying to concentrate on a particular spell when your teammate is dancing about?  That would be a wisdom check to test your concentration in the particular moment.

At this point, you should have a character and  a basic understanding of how actions work.  Up next will be an actual attempted walkthrough tutorial.  I'll need some volunteers (2 minimum, but 4-6 for optimum greatness). 

[furryoldlobster]

How is this going to work on the forums?  I'm going to need your help for that.  I want to run a game in the next couple days.  I have a tutorial for a campaign set up, its just a matter of deciding the best way to actually play the game.  italics will help tons as will other formatting (and teamspeak). 

A dice rolling program has been inserted into the forums (thanks, Clay!).  Its really cool, and will probably end up being the best choice for rolling.  Everyone can see everyone's rolls and its super easy to learn.

http://custom.simplemachines.org/mods/index.php?mod=2032