4e Mechanics & Rules Discussion

[Raellus]

Next questions:

GROUP AMBUSHES: Ambushes can be carried out by a
group and against a group of targets. This follows the
usual rules for stealth – the person with the lowest
RECON skill level rolls for the attackers, while the target
with highest RECON skill level rolls for the targets. If you
succeed, you get all of the top initiative cards, equal to
the number of fighters on your side – i.e. if there are
four attackers, you get cards #1 to #4. You can distribute
these as you see fit. The target(s) draws initiative from
amongst the remaining cards.

WAYLAYING: If you lie in wait for an enemy to attack them
as they pass, roll RECON to set up the ambush. This is a slow
action. If you spend a stretch (5–10 minutes) or more to
set up, you get a +2 modifier. If you spend a shift or more,
you get +3. You can push the roll as normal. Record the
number of you roll.

For Group Ambushes, the rules are clear that you use the lowest Recon score among the attackers. Does this mean that if a party member doesn't have any skill in Recon, you role their Attribute only? Or, does it mean to use the lowest score from among PCs that actually have any Recon skill at all? In other words, what does "lowest" mean? None, or lowest actually score (eg. Recon D)? I'm guessing, it's the former, but hoping it's the latter.

Second, in the Waylaying rules, does the following still apply? "The person with the lowest RECON skill level rolls for the attackers." The Waylaying rule follows the Ambushing rules, but doesn't refer directly back to them, so It's not clear. Post hoc, ergo propter hoc?

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