encounter · 2 min read
The Unseen Shooter
Traders arrive with clean punctures and no weapon in memory. Two needlers on the brushline. A Champion in the door, Channel in the pocket, and range as doctrine.
Play this contract
The full combat engine, no download required. This sitting won't save — the campaign will, when it ships.
Guest fight. The full campaign is in development.
Traders come back with clean punctures and no memory of a weapon. A sound like dry seeds in a cup, then a fear they can’t name. Walk the brushline and find what’s doing the shooting.
The Unseen Shooter is the site’s second fight. A Film on the Well taught ground. This one teaches range.
The company
A year further into the work: the fighter is a Champion with Second Wind, Action Surge, and a critical hit on a roll of 19. The cleric has Channel Divinity and heavy armor. The wizard has started sculpting spells, shielding allies from its own blast radius. The player controls the fighter; the cleric and wizard act on their own.
The brushline breaks a straight walk — hazel, thorn, and old fence posts all occupy hexes. Gathering before anyone advances beats splitting up to cover more ground.
What’s shooting
Two needlers, hidden in the brush, treating distance as their whole strategy: they’d rather not be approached at all. Closing the gap costs a company hexes it doesn’t want to spend, and staying at range doesn’t put anyone out of reach either. The fighter’s job is to be the target it would rather shoot, and to still be standing after. The cleric keeps that true. The wizard spends a slot only on a body it can actually see.
After
The brushline resets for the next company. If the well felt easy, this one humbles a party that’s only ever learned to close distance.