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Yusei wrote:

DavetheLost wrote:Additionally, if the Protected Companion is the Fellowship Focus of the character taking the blow then I would expect the Hope point to be refunded as it is being spent to protect the Focus.

I'm not sure this is very important, but I wouldn't refund the Hope point if this is a tactical choice on the part of the players, something they do often. Your friend falls, you spend Hope to catch him, you deserve your point back. Your friend is fighting a strong foe and seems to be having a hard time, you protect him, then you deserve your point back too. But if your friend fights in open stance because you're here to take the blows, then I believe you should definitely lose Hope.

That's a great point Yusei and well described. Something LMs should certainly be wary of. I often forget it occurs as it's not really in my gaming group's style of play but its perfectly natural for players to spot gaps/exploits and use them.

The rule as stated in the book makes it seem like the player just has to declare that he is protecting his companion at the beginning of the Company's turn in combat. Does that mean he has to spend the Hope point right then and there OR can he not spend it until/if the Loremaster says a creature is attacking the player whom he is protecting?

I think the character gets to declare the spending of Hope to shift the attack as and when an attack is declared against the companion he is defending. If no attacks are declared against that companion no Hope needs to be spent.

As for the question of gaming the system, allowing the outcome of the attack against the companion to be known before the Defender spends Hope is really allowing gaming the system. No one will ever spend Hope to shift the target of an unsuccessful attack. Also, the defending player is not getting off Scott free. If your friend fights in open or even forward stance because you are their to protect him, that is very reasonable and is how tactics in combat in the real world actually work. The defending player is becoming the target of additional attacks that otherwise would not have been directed at him. Remember that the defending player must be in a close combat stance (Defensive) no hiding in rearward, and there for is probably already taking attacks directed at him, now add the attacks originally targeting his companion. Loss of Endurance can put a fighter out of it pretty quickly. So you are spending Hope to be attacked more. Even if you get the Hope refunded you still have to take the attack, and possible Piercing blow and wound...

DavetheLost wrote:So you are spending Hope to be attacked more. Even if you get the Hope refunded you still have to take the attack, and possible Piercing blow and wound...

Well, yeah, but if you get the Hope refunded, you essentially allow the group to perform an attack with TN 6 and an attack with TN 12, but get hit twice with TN 12, for free. The two players can even exchange roles if they don't want one of them getting knocked-out too quickly.

Yusei wrote:

DavetheLost wrote:Additionally, if the Protected Companion is the Fellowship Focus of the character taking the blow then I would expect the Hope point to be refunded as it is being spent to protect the Focus.

I'm not sure this is very important, but I wouldn't refund the Hope point if this is a tactical choice on the part of the players, something they do often. Your friend falls, you spend Hope to catch him, you deserve your point back. Your friend is fighting a strong foe and seems to be having a hard time, you protect him, then you deserve your point back too. But if your friend fights in open stance because you're here to take the blows, then I believe you should definitely lose Hope.

It's a perfect time for a little strife and argument between the two close friends a la Sam/Frodo over their opinions of Gollum/Smeagol. Maybe the protector will select a different best friend for a while (new Fellowship Focus), because his "friend" continues to put himself in a dangerous position with an expectation that his friend will always be there to take the fall for him.

There's nothing in the rules that disallow someone from choosing another FF. It happens in my game, but rarely, and only when there's an "in-game" reason for doing so.

Robert