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We´ve been playing Rolemaster ever since 1988 and during this time we certainly had our share of "Rolemaster Moments". Maybe we will someday find the time to sort them out and post them here. For now I just want to tell about something that happened during our last session. I like to call it "the snapping turtle incident".
We had a party of newbie-characters, that had all in all just about reached level two, when they decided, to go into the wilderness in search of herbs. Three of the five party members present had some foraging skills, the rest assumed the role of guards in the wild deciduous forests of a mild climate. After several hours of concentrated searching, no herbs were found and as usual in such situations, something found the party (actually I rolled for encounters, which were four separate ten percent chances, the last of which came up with a positive result). First I rolled up the kind of encounter and I was kind of disappointed, when the result said "Turtle". Feeling generous and having pity on the poor low-level party, I just left it as it was and determined the "lucky" character that'd be having the privilege of the first sight. The dice favoured our wood-elf druid (played by my beloved wife), that was searching along creeks and streams in hope of finding some Golden Cress.
So next I rolled a perception check for her, which resulted in complete unawareness of the hidden two-feet long snapping turtle hiding in the water before her. When I stated, that a snapping turtle was just about to bite the unwary druid´s hand I was met with bafflement. A turtle? You can´t be serious! The following surprise attack came up with a maximum result for the turtle´s small bite (due to an open attack roll on my parts). This was a first OUCH! for the little druid - bur worse thing s were yet to come. The critical was a natural hundred which quickly silenced everyone on the table while I was checking the result. Luckily for the poor little druid I had stated that the attack would affect the Hand and so the severed limb was just the index finger (bad enough for an encounter with a lowly turtle). Stunned and bleeding the druid was crying for help - to which the other characters gladly responded. As it turned out this wasn´t such a great idea, but cries for revenge on the mean killer-turtle were abundant. The first of these efforts made the situation worse, as the approaching character came up with a beautiful 01 for the attack roll, followed by a rather high fumble result that located the attack some feet to the left. I stated there would be a twenty percent chance of hitting the druid - an opportunity that was not to be passed by and followed through with a nice attack that resulted in serious damage to the druid. By the way did I mention the 66 on the critical roll, leaving the humiliated bitten druid with a pierced shoulder and according collateral damage? Two mediocre whacks with sundry weaponry later, the turtle was dead.
I hope you enjoyed this little anecdote (well I certainly did like it - but don´t ask my players about it). We´re from Germany, by now in our late twenties and early thirties and we are certainly looking forward to more great "Rolemaster Moments".
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