Taking the BATTLE to the Enemy

[venger]

Out of curiosity, in the event that the company is "Attacking" a Keep or well designed fortification defended by trained, intelligent foes, why not have the enemy roll BATTLE dice using their "Vocation" score to reflect taking advantage of those defensive features?

Arrow slits, murder holes, stumble steps, etc.

Pros? Cons?

[Mim]

You raise a great question & while I haven't had a chance to LM this yet, I've always planned on allowing the servants of the Enemy to use this & am curious to see if you receive any responses that indicate that someone's encountered a problem with it.

[venger]

There is another situation, the "Uncertain Situation" LMB p41 that i am interpreting as follows;

LM can't determine the company’s posture clearly
An opposed roll between the highest BATTLE scores in the opposing sides may be required to sort things out

Highest BATTLE roll gains Initiative, posture DEFENDING, thus Calls Stances and Rolls BATTLE for terrain advantages

The BATTLE rating of a creature is represented by its Vocation score
— (see the Adversaries chapter at LMB page 64).


So if I'm interpreting correctly, I have been thinking in certain situations why not DEFENDING enemies getting the BATTLE roll for advantage dice?

One other thing,
When I read "The Company is Attacking" rules I interpret that "The enemy holds the initiative" means that the Enemy Calls the Stances, and company battle rolls are harder, (TN18) is this correct?

[Robin Smallburrow]

Not quite correct- 'The Enemy Holds the Initiative' means the following:

1. The Fellowship chooses stances as normal, but opposing adversaries etc. get to act first in combat
Understand that choosing combat stances is something only PC' s do as per RAW.

2. Rolls on Battle skill for Combat advantages for the Fellowship are at TN 18 (maybe even higher!), whereas Vocation rolls for the other side (if applicable)would only be at TN 14

Robin S.