[CONAN] Combat Tips

[Supplement Four]

Shall we talk tactics and strategy?

If you've got something that works well in combat, post it in this thread.

 

[Supplement Four]

I'll start. This isn't a WOW! FANTASTIC IDEA! by no means. But, it is something that you can put into your bag of tricks and use when the situation presents itself.



Conan Combat Tip to avoid being Flat-Footed.

A human, not encumbered with armor or gear, can move with a Speed of 30. Take advantage of that. He can move 30 feet in a 6 second combat round and still attack? Well, then, in situations where appropriate, consider making a ranged weapon attack from a distance of at least 31 feet.

That way, if you lose the nish roll and are considered flat-footed before you can make your ranged attack, the enemy can't get to you and attack you while you are flat-footed unless he's got ranged weapons, too.

It doesnt matter if you hit! It doesn't even matter if you get to make your attack!

The simple act of saying, "My character will fire his bow at..." when you are 31+ feet from your nearest enemy, is enough. The GM will call for initiative throws, and even if you lose the nish throw, the throw is made, and your enemy can't get to you until the second round when you are not flat-footed.

For this reason, carry something that you can throw at the enemy. Axes, spears, and javelins...bow, or crossbow....throwing knife...whatever. The main idea here is: Cause Inititiave to be rolled when you are 31+ feet away from your nearest target.


If you like this idea, you may consider some of the Ranged Wepon Feats: Far Shot; Point Blank Shot; Precise Shot; Ranged Finesse; Rapid Shot; and Mounted Archery.

 

[Spectator]

I'm kinda of a D!ck as GM. I'd admire your forethought and knowledge of the rules and probably have my pictish warrior bury his axe in your throat, since the 18 inch tomahawk handle made up for your 31 foot slickster maneuver. I'm just saying that stuff is cool for the rules lawyers, but it would not fly in my game.

 

[Jeraa]

Your forgetting about charging, where you move double your speed and still get an attack. So 60 feet in that round. That puts him next to you for an attack, and with normal weapons he could hit someone within 5' of him. To be out of range, you need to be at least 66 feet from someone with most melee weapons. So, with 60 feet of movement, and 5 foot reach (Standard with most melee weapons), a melee combatant can hit anyone within 65 feet of him in one round. 70 feet if wielding a reach weapon.

 

[Supplement Four]

Your forgetting about charging, where you move double your speed and still get an attack.

No, I'm not. I said it wouldn't work all the time--it's just an idea to put into your bag of tricks.

I mean, your opponent could have the Fleet-Footed Feat, too, and if you tried this, you might be hosed. There's definitely a risk. Nothing is perfect. It's just a tactic to think about.

 

[Supplement Four]

I'm kinda of a D!ck as GM. I'd admire your forethought and knowledge of the rules and probably have my pictish warrior bury his axe in your throat, since the 18 inch tomahawk handle made up for your 31 foot slickster maneuver. I'm just saying that stuff is cool for the rules lawyers, but it would not fly in my game.

LOL. :shock: I'm actually writing these things and sending the ideas to my players--the other way around.

In my game, I'm the only one who has read the rules (and I like it that way), so I have to educate them on things.

What sparked this is that my group is 1st level and we've had little combat, and a lot of role playing, so far. They've all played D&D, but I don't think they quite have a grasp on how different and more deadly the Conan game can be. So, I'm trying to help them by showing them things they can do.

 

[Spectator]

Your forgetting about charging, where you move double your speed and still get an attack. So 60 feet in that round. That puts him next to you for an attack, and with normal weapons he could hit someone within 5' of him. To be out of range, you need to be at least 66 feet from someone with most melee weapons. So, with 60 feet of movement, and 5 foot reach (Standard with most melee weapons), a melee combatant can hit anyone within 65 feet of him in one round. 70 feet if wielding a reach weapon.

Hah, I'm so old school, I actually never used that rule! Thanks for teachimg me something, not that I will use it, but thanks!

 

[Supplement Four]

I started this thread, really, for two reasons. First, I thought maybe I might see some neat stuff to tell my players. But, the biggest reason I started it was to try to get this place hoppin' again talking about Conan.

I wanted to inspire some Conan discussion.

 

[Ichabod]

Remember the Aid Another combat action. Obviously, this isn't as important when the PCs are relatively balanced in combat prowess, but our main party has always been highly unbalanced in murder-factor, so I should have been using this way more often, same with the all parry, all of the time guy who sucks even more than my character at killing stuff. With 2e, Distracting Arrow would serve a similar purpose.

Have someone who won't get AoOed to death take a position that ensures a series of easy flanks for the backstabber. While it's easy enough for the backstabber to Tumble into position in an opposite setup, that generally leaves a fragile character out in the open to get mauled.

Know what Defensive Blasts the sorcerers have and adjust positioning accordingly. Probably means giving room, also giving room to a cleavemaster is useful to maximize free attacks.

Typically, our most dangerous opponents are ones that grapple. If a PC grappler or at least someone who isn't a murdermaster can run interference, the party killing machine(s) can annihilate to his/their heart's content.

Once you get to Reckless Attack, be very aware of when to use Reckless Attack vs. when to use Power Attack. (Using both is probably overkill.) If you really wanted to make combat mechanical, do the math on optimal Power Attack numbers. Seems simple because all that really matters is forcing a MDS. The complexity comes when you have multiple attacks and whether it's worth sacrificing a third attack to make sure you force MDSs on the first two or whether to risk not rolling enough damage on an attack to force a MDS.

Don't forget fighting defensively. Don't forget Mighty Blow.