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View Full Version : Do multiple soft covers stack?/horror story



Arbitrarity
2007-01-26, 09:33 PM
K, actually this is something that just bugged me :/.

We were playing a War-style campaign, with Heroes of Battle. So one of our people takes leadership. An aristocrat. With 20 CHA (cloak, and level 7). We're all level 7, and the aristocrat has local "great renown". So he commands something like 28 characters, plus another 10 from seargent rank. So he wipes the walls with arrow volleys. This is slightly annoying, but not too bad.

Then the bad part begins. Our army of 50 people comes to a fork (in the street, we're in this world's elven capital). We peek around the corner, and see about 220 orcs. And some drow. So, our moron NPC commander tells us to "move silently and flank the orcs, so we can crush them". We all fail our checks, and for reasons unknown, I immediately chrage the orcs...

Bit of background, I'm using a moderately optimized spiked chain trip-monkey build. None of us are casters, except the aristocrat's cohort (lvl 5 sorceror), and his level 3 follower (a cleric). We can't buy anything above 2K, except the aristocrat (he has contacts). Hell, I could only get a heavy warhorse with his help. Which the DM didn't let me use. Our total chracter wealth is 10K each. At level 7.

The aristocrat leads his men into a house to use arrow volleys, and sends the frenzied berserker (used his frenzy already) upstairs. Somehow, he runs upstairs, not looking at all, and runs into a total flank by 9 drow. He survives, without rage use. The aristocrat's men clean out the house, and get upstairs. Meanwhile, I'm dropping 7 orcs a round (AOO, combat reflexes, and 7/2 BAB), and my allies are getting owned. This drow lady comes and smashes up most of my remaining allies, and I find myself in a contracting circle of 200 angry drow and orcs. I drink a potion of enlarge person, and prepare to use as many AOO's as possible. I also total defence, boosting my AC into the high 20's. We have an archer who also randomnly snipes drow, is hit 7 times out of 20 (when he has 26 AC), by CR "1/2" drow. Our commander flees in terror, and the lady jumps on the orcs heads (...) and jumps 20 feet straight at me. I fail my trip attempt (as she has more than 14 touch AC), and she misses my insane AC. The DM tried to give her a full attack, but we shouted it down :).

The aristocrat (concentrated) volleyed repeatedly at her, dealing something like 20 damage. The DM tried to have her full attack me (I heard the rolls, she had 3 attacks, with a 2h weapon). We shouted that down, as he skipped my turn. I tripped her, smaked her once, and used my other attack to hit her again (35 dmg). Meantime, genius orcs are taking 5 foot steps toward me. Aristocrat volleys at her while she's prone, deals 60 damage. She gets up, (AOO... failed trip), flees (AOO, trip, hit, 17 dmg), and then, orcs totally surround me, and hit a bunch of times, leaving me with 3 HP.

The issue is, throughout this, I was his with about 15 damage a round from arrows. Which is why my HP sucked at the end. The arrows were coming from beyond my 20 ft reach, through a straight mass of orcs. So, do they take a -24 (no precise shot) to hit, a -14 (as I was large, 1/2 cover), or no penalty at all (cough).

Viscount Einstrauss
2007-01-26, 09:59 PM
I believe concealment stacks, so -24. The DM just didn't like that you had a very good plan and wanted to make the fight hard on you, sounds like. What a chump.

Arbitrarity
2007-01-26, 10:09 PM
Nah, we didn't have a plan :). And anyway, I forgot to call soft cover at that time :).

Apparently we are supposed to surrender :D. Railroad!

Douglas
2007-01-26, 10:25 PM
The bonus from cover is untyped, but you either have cover or you don't, you can't have cover x3. Depending on how much is between the attacker and you, the DM may give you "improved cover", which gives double the normal cover bonuses.

On a slightly different issue, You can’t make attacks of opportunity while using total defense. (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/actionsInCombat.htm#totalDefense)

Arbitrarity
2007-01-26, 10:31 PM
Hmm.. hadn't seen that :/. Ah well, I missed :). Now I know. Don't use total defense!

Particularly when you have combat expertise :)

Anyway, I still end up with +8 for soft cover and firing into melee... now to try and retroactively change the course of that part :P.