Advancing Under Fire and Ranged Combat.
Advancing on an opponent who is using a ranged weapon is treated as a contest (advancing under fire). If the ranged weapon user is reduced to 0 AP then his opponent has successfully advanced to meet him and the defeat penalties below are applied; a new contest begins with any penalties from the results of the contest to advance under fire applied. If the advancing character is reduced to 0 then they fail to close and normal defeat results are applied.
Advancing Under Fire Consequences Chart for ranged Attacker
Degree of Defeat Combat Result Consequence Modifier Marginal At Close Range - Minor Shaken -1 [applies to any contest immediately following] Major Cowering -50% of ability [as above] Complete Routed No Actions Allowed
Cowering or routed characters will flee if possible. If not they may try to surrender.
A new contest is started following the completion of the advance under fire contest.
Seperate AP costs for movement are not paid by the character advancing they are part of the AP exchange in the contest.
Range for missile weapons can roughly figured by dividing the initial encounter range by the AP of the ranged weapon user, AP changes then represent appropriate changes of range i.e.for a 20AP archer at a range of 60 yards 1 AP = 3 yards. As the ranged weapon user looses AP distance decreases as he gains it through transfers range increases. An advancing character can only trun AP transfers into wounds if they have some means to wound the ranged weapon user e.g grab the javelin, or pull it out of the shield and throw it back (arrows and pilum like javelins cannot be thrown back).
Close Combat skill may be used in a contest against Ranged Combat skill. It represents using a shield to shelter from missiles, parrying missiles etc. It is used with an imporvisational modifier of -3 if no suitable skill (Shield Wall, Hoplite fighting, Arrow Cutting etc. ) is available. Additional improviational modifiers could include: no shield - 5, not using large shield -2.
Movement skills may also be used. This are also at an improvisational modifier if not suitable (Dodge etc.) of -3.
Poor visibility tends to cancel out (harder to hit the advancing target/harder to spot the incoming missile).
Both sides are eligible to pay the defending against multiple attackers (harder to ward of the missiles, or shoot all your foes) and attacking multiple targets penalties( hard to shoot all your foes, or close with a number of opponents with ranged weapons).
Colour: sagas and accounts of ther period often have references to combatants sheltering behind shields while being peppered with arrows, dodging javelins and arrows, catching and throwing back javelins (AP transfer result for the character without a ranged weapon?) or axes, javelins penetrating shields, javelins being plucked from shields and thrown back, bent javelins rendering shields useless etc.
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