Brethold and Bregbor find themselves in the entering the fens that are about the River Glanduin where it feeds into the Greyflood (Gwathlo).  This is West Dunalnd, south of Hollin and West of the Misty Mountains, towering in the near distance.  Seeking game to feed themselves, they spot in the distance some deer, does by the look of them...

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There is no initiative per se in MERP.  There is an action sequence based on the type of action.  Within each sequence actors perform their actions in order of highest MM bonus to lowest.  If the MM bonuses are the same, the actions are simultaneous.

Action Sequence:

1.  Prepare/Cast spell (the more rounds spent preparing, the better the chance of casting well)
  - may take a 10 foot movement later in the round if preparing a spell
  - may take a 20 foot movement later in the round if casting a spell

2.  Missile and throwing attacks, missile parry, reloading
  - May take a 10 foot movement later in the round if making a missile attack
  - Missile parry: up to half of OB is subtracted from incoming missile attack, may later take a half move or make a melee attack with remaining half OB.

3.  Moving Maneuvers (these are maneuvers that cover a distance less than 1/2 character movement)

4.  Melee attack and parry
  - May take a 10 foot move.  Part of the OB may used to parry incoming attacks.  Shifting equipment (drawing, sheathing, unslinging, etc.) incurs -30 OB.

5.  Movement (character movement.)
  - Movement decreased -10 feet for each item shifted

6.  Static Maneuvers.
  - No other action allowed.

Bregbor stops and touches a finger to his lips and carefully indicate the animals downwind as he hides behind a tree.

Silence, he mouthes.

He judges the distance for the shot, wonders if they can creep any closer without his companion alerting the prey.

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How do we apply initiative to the game? I do not know the other players' M&Ms, so I assume we announce actions in any order (in my old games, slow folk had to announce theirs first)?

For now I'd like to know how far we are and how difficult it would be to sneak any closer.
I haven't found any aiming bonus other than the +0 for not reloading hastily, so I assume, there is none?

Berthold heard Bregbor heads up and looked at the deer. "That would make some good meals, but maybe too much to carry, without a horse" he whispered, not liking the idea of having to throw away good meat.

"But we have no other option, so I guess we should try to shoot at it before it leves" he added, reading his bow and aiming at the deer.  "Shooting at three?" he suggested to Bregbor.

Bregbor:

I haven't found any aiming bonus other than the +0 for not reloading hastily, so I assume, there is none?

None than I rember. As you say, it only avoids the hatly reload DM, but GM will say

OOC

Normally I would not post OOC text only in the IC thread and don't want others doing that either, but this is a test for combat and applies only to you two at this time.

Starting range will be 100 feet, just inside PB range for a Long Bow.  Moving closer would be a Stalking Moving Maneuver.  If you get a percentage number result that is the percentage of your base move (50 feet) you can move quietly OR the chance of the deer hearing you and getting spooked, if you want to move farther.  Difficulty will be Moderate.

There is no aiming bonus other than the reload related modifiers.

Bregbor tries to creep closer but the terrain is treacherous and he makes little headway. He steps onto a small stone but the deer do not react to the small noise. He moves onwards and stops at 75' feet distance fromthem to ready his bow.

ooc: To speed things up, I have done all the sneak rolls right away.
roll 11+ 40 in Stalk/Hide = +51 (20%)
p. 32 says right at the top that M&M is 50 + skill bonus.

spook roll negative
rolls 4-29 = -25
-25+40=15 (10%)
roll 3: 63 +40 = 103

Berthold saw Bregbor trying to close with the deer.  "Well, elves are told to be stealthy" he thought. "But I know I’m not the one to be so, so, I’d better stay to shoot if the deer moves or when he’s ready".

So, he kept aiming at the deer, ready to shoot when Bregbor was ready, or if the deer seemed to have discovered him and moved…

OOC: to speed things, I make the roll for shooting the arrow to the deer, be it because it moves or because Bregbor is ready and shoots too.

• 10:49, Today: Berthold rolled 3 using 1d100.  Shooting at the deer. Fumble
• 10:51, Today: Berthold rolled 45 using 1d100.  Fumble roll.

As Berthold tried to release the arrow, he had put it wrongly in the bow and the arrow broke. Seeing the disaster, Berthold began to curse and his hands began to tremble, as he was becoming very nervous…

OOC: as per fumble table, he losses his cool and is at -30 for 3 rounds.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:31, Tue 25 July 2023.

When he reched a good shooting position, Bregbor aimed carefully before he shot.

Bregbor lines up the shot, and then the deer bolt, spooked by Berthold's action, perhaps; perhaps by intuition.  The arrow flies into the trio but all three leap away seemingly unhurt.

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Deer have a DB of 25, subtracting from the 83 Bregbor rolled, is 58.  No damage.

After his disastrous shooting attempt, Berthold saw Bregbor shooting and missing too (though it was quite a better shoot than his own) and the deer fled. He cursed for some moments before regaining his composure. His attutude has not been the expected one before a stranger, and he was ashamed of it.

"I’m sorry" he said to Bregbor. "This damned arrow broke, and I’m afraid I become quite upset for it. I don’t use to be so bad a shooter, be sure of it, but for now our food fled. Do you at least know about edible plants in this zone? Maybe we can fight our hunger with them…"

Bregbor rubs his eyes in disbelief as his arrow misses. He collects it and replies: "We can look for plants if you are hungry. Don't worry about me. I am in tune with the Valar. I will never be hungry since they provide for me."

ooc: we could roll foraging. iirc there is a bonus you get when you are ananimist or ranger, but I didn't take my book on holiday. My character has foraging +21 (without that bonus). I don't remember that there are team-work rules in MERP. Do you want to roll, or do you want me to roll, or does your character simply go on a diet (mine has a spell that sustains him).

Berthold looked surprised to Bregbor when he said he didn’t need food. He’d always thought elves needed it too. No surprise they looked so thin then…

"Well, I’m not so lucky and I need food, but I guess I can wait for some time, even maybe a day or two, before feeling ill effects from its lack" he answered. "I guess we better move while there’s sun on sky, as goblins may be again raiding when it sets, and if we have another hunting opportunity, or if we fins dome edible plants or berries, then take it, but wasting our time on it would be too dangerous" he added, trying to look stoic and to hide the protest of his stomach, who didn’t fully agree with what he had said.

Bregbor adds: "The sooner we get to the road, the better. Maybe you'll find someone who can help you out with food, or someone I can go foraging with. If you can make it that far?"

Worry creeps into his face: He doesn't want to leave his newfound aquaintance behind.