Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Yodaman23 01-03-07, 11:08 PM	Here is my problem. I play new member of a guild that must be tested in combat against another guild member. I know little about him aside that he may be equal too or a level ahead of me and wields a katana. He is some type of martial class with no spell abilites. I play a level 2 rogue who wields a masterwork rapier and has most of his skill points into charisma skills. I have 16 HP and and 15 AC and there are no items allowed and it is non lethal combat. He is almost 100% certainly going to try and charge me as the storys of him say. Can any of you give me fighting tips on how I may win.
Mock26 01-03-07, 11:17 PM	You could always throw a big handful of dirt in his face to try and slow him up. Of course, this all depends on where you fight him. If it is a typical training area, though, the ground should be covered in soft dirt to cushion falls. Or, you can go for the disarm!
DM Zoc 01-03-07, 11:22 PM	Since you're already in the game, it's too late for feat or skill advice (there are plenty of feats to defend against chargers), so there's one possible move I can suggest. It involves you winning initiative, so hopefully you took the feat for that and/or roll really well. If you go first, ready an action triggered by his attacking you. The action you ready will be to stab and take a 5-foot step. Since your action goes just before the action that triggers it, he will be five feet away when you attack (presumably close enough for you to get a stab in with your rapier); then you move out of his line of charge, and he can't change direction to hit you. In theory, his charge is over when he attempts to make his attack, and he'll end up swinging into the square you just left. A generous GM might allow him to keep moving in a line to hit you, and I'm not certain on the technical aspect of this according to the rules. In any case, after the first round, you're on your own. If the katana guy is just using a standard charger build, though, then most of the danger should be past.
Comus 01-03-07, 11:27 PM	Here is my problem. I play new member of a guild that must be tested in combat against another guild member. I know little about him aside that he may be equal too or a level ahead of me and wields a katana. He is some type of martial class with no spell abilites. I play a level 2 rogue who wields a masterwork rapier and has most of his skill points into charisma skills. I have 16 HP and and 15 AC and there are no items allowed and it is non lethal combat. He is almost 100% certainly going to try and charge me as the storys of him say. Can any of you give me fighting tips on how I may win. Okay. First, win initiative. That's important. Then, get five feet more than a double-move action (65 ft, typically) away from him. He won't be able to get to you with a single charge. Instead of a rapier, use some kind of ranged weapon, a longbow is best. If you can't use a ranged weapon, wait for him to get close (remembering to keep outside of charge range so he can't get off an attack) and then fight defensively. If you've got a decent bluff, feint. Hmm... usually when I plan out tactics, I've got items on-hand to use. Oh, one more thing - consider cheating and getting some poison on your weapon (or several thrown weapons) before the fight. Drow poison would be good. See if you can get long-duration buffs on yourself before the fight. Never fight fairly. It gives the opponent a chance to win.
SageBahamut 01-04-07, 01:16 AM	Like the last poster said, win initiative, then back away just enough to be /just/ outside his charge range. Then if he wants to move in, he can't attack. You get first shots. Feint, then peck. Remember that he has to move at least 10' to charge. While you might soak up some beating staying in melee with him, stay in melee with him. Keep tumbling around to avoid provoking AoOs if you feel inclined to move. Mostly just peck him to death and hope to roll more criticals than he does. If he tries something fancy like a full retreat to open distance so he can charge, remember you're a Rogue, and Tumble is a class skill, so keep shadowing him. Like I said, you may get hurt staying close, but you'll get hurt a heck of a lot more trying to keep your distance. If you try to go the archer route, firstly it means giving up your rapier. Secondly it means not being able to feint in combat, since that only works in melee (iirc) and is something a Rogue should be spending his Move action on every round once the swinging starts. Thirdly, you're human (oocly). All it takes is placing your mini one square too close, just once, and you're in for a world of misery.
Mock26 01-04-07, 02:44 AM	No offense, but "win initiative" is not really good advice. No battle plan should be formulated around hoping to get lucky on a random roll of the dice. What if he loses initiative? How about some plans that have to deal with that? I don't know if the DM will allow it, but try to negotiate the starting terms of the match. See if the samurai or the officials will allow both of you to start 75 or more feet away, tell them you want enough room to maneuver and show off your all-around fighting skills, not just charging in and bashing each other to death.
ressurrector 01-04-07, 03:52 AM	Let's be honest...A second level rogue, focused on charisma skills, with 15AC and 16hp isn't going to be able to do much vs a guy with a bastard sword (assuming fighter or martial adept) if he's built for combat. Combat characters trump non-combat characters in 1v1 fightes, as you would suspect. The one thing you can try to do, which might even it out, is use feinting in combat (since you've got ranks in bluff as a cha based character I would hope) If he's wearing medium armor, use your better mobility to your advantage. Oh, and get a shield if possible. More details may yeild more/better suggestions.
Falln 01-04-07, 04:29 AM	I think an important question is: what is the win condition in this non-lethal fight? he who scores the first hit? maybe it's only a test to see if the rogue is able to defend himself or to check if the rogue thrusts the guild enough to be in an arena with a much stronger opponent. If you start to run away all the time, they could see you as a weakling. If you cheat they may either like or dislike it. Did anyone else ever survive the test? maybe you should get as much info first. Last question: who said you had to enter the guild? was if forced by the DM, then it's probably some adventure hook. Was it you who wanted to join them after the DM said 30 times: they are much to strong and they don't want weak rogues to join. Then I'll guess you have a problem.
Ogiwan 01-04-07, 01:19 PM	Well, if there are obstacles, you can maneuver so he can't charge you, what with a stack of crates blocking his charge line. Uhh. Well, if there is stuff in the arena, swashbuckle it up. Push crates on him. Flip over/fight on top of tables. Etc.
High Octane 01-04-07, 01:31 PM	If you have improved feint, use that. If not, you sir, are an idiot for agreeing to this. Personally I would go for a bluff/diplomacy check mid-fight. Make up some excuse to talk it out, and go in for a close talking debate/chat. Then sneak attack him.