Allies in Battle Table for Nightmares of Angmar

[jamesrbrown]

For those who play Nightmares of Angmar, found in Ruins of the North, I decided to create the following table in hopes that it will make running combats easier when involving the NPCs. The table could actually be used for any adventures that include NPCs in the company. It is based on the Allies in Battle table found in Tales from Wilderland on page 34.

[SPOILER ALERT!] There will likely be three NPCs that travel with the company to the fortress of Carn Dûm: Essylt, Fráech, and Hwalda the guide. Anytime a confrontation begins during the adventure, count the number of enemies. If there are not more than twice the number of characters in the company (including the NPCs), then Essylt automatically escapes combat and remains out of the fray. If the numbers allow, Hwalda also escapes to hide with Essylt. Any remaining NPCs should be assigned engagements, but do not make attack rolls for or against them. Instead, at the end of each round of combat, make one roll of the Feat die to see what happens with them.

Allies in Battle:

Eye: A howl of pain rises into the air as one of the allies drops to zero Endurance, suffers a Wound and then falls to the ground unconscious. If they are not treated successfully by a Healing roll within 12 hours, they will die.

1, 2, 3: The hatred of the enemy surges and they land their blows more often than not. The number of allies taking Endurance loss is equal to the number rolled on the Feat die. The amount of loss depends on the enemy that engages them.

4, 5, 6, 7: The allies exchange blows and the battle continues.

8, 9, 10: The allies outmatch their opponents, side-stepping attacks and finding vulnerabilities. If this result is rolled twice in a row, then one enemy is slain!

Gandalf: In a savage display of fury, one of the Hill-men kills an enemy with a terrible stroke of accuracy.

The Loremaster can decide which allies and enemies are involved in a result, or he can randomly determine with a roll of a Success die.

[Indur Dawndeath]

This is the way to do it, detailed combat for NPCs are too time consuming, and its better than having them hide all the time!

[Majestic]

Thanks for taking the time to put this together, James!

[Rich H]

And I wrote the following years ago (included within my "To Journey's End and the Eagles' Eyrie" adventure):

Allies in Battle
Each round the Loremaster should roll a feat dice and consult the table below.

EYE
Torrun is slain and the attackers swarm the Ruined Gate and the company must retreat to the Tower.
If an EYE is rolled a second time then Barrack is Wounded. A third EYE results in Balin suffering a Wound, but not dying immediately; a Healing roll after the battle saves him. Further EYE results do not yield any additional complications.

1, 2, or 3
The allies are hard-pressed to hold the enemy back. An orc slips past the front line and attacks any defender currently in a Rearward stance. If no companion is fighting in Rearward, then ignore the result.

4, 5, or 6
The allies hold their line and keep fighting. Orc blood is spilt as the Dwarves repel the enemies’ assault.

7, 8, 9, or 10
The allies fight bravely, pushing the enemy back. If this result is rolled twice in a row, then the one of the Orcs is slain.

G-RUNE
One of the dwarves catches an orc with a savage blow, cutting the brute’s head clean off!

Very similar to James' above so this is an easily portable idea across all fights involving LMCs.