Combat

1. Combat

   #1

   Combat needs several thing to be resolved.
   
   1: A way of determining who goes first, and not just single combat, but groups of uneven size, as is often encounterd when adventuring.
   
   2: A way of determining if you hit or missed.
   
   3: A way of determining if you damaged your target, and what happens if you didn't.
   
   Issue 1: Inititive
   
   Inititive is a challenge. When handling group challenges, the first people to win the challenge will be the last to go. So, if a soldier has a skill in awarness or combat senses, they will be the last to declare actions, since they will be able to react to them. A normal adventurer doesn't have any kind of inititive skill, so would fall to thier items, or weapons.
   
   Weapons will then, of course, need a stat for Readiness. The weapon's Ready stat represents how easy it is to manuever into an active position. For example a dagger is light and quick, so can be used to stab and parry quite often, whereas a whip needs to have its considerable length draw back and forth on each blow.
   
   Daggers, swords, clubs and other balanced weapons will have a Ready of 3, and win initiative over other weapons since they can react better. Maces, axes, picks and other top heavy weapons get a ready of 2, since they work on an off center weight and are more cumbersome. Most Thrown weapons will also have a Ready of 2. Whips, weighted chains, and most Missile weapons will have a ready of 1, due to being very cumbersome and needing to reload and what not.
   
   In cases where items are tied, the next on the challenge table is traits, then attributes if still tied. And finially, any other ties can be flipped untill the tie is broken, and then the loser has to declare thier actions first.
   
   Issue 2 To-hit
   
   To see if you hit your target, you simply challenge your ability in attacking with your target's ability in not being hit. If your target is not taking action to defend itself, like for instance, is sleeping, you just get to whoop on them.
   
   I'll adress issue 3 another time and give an example or two of melle.

2. Combat

   #2

   Weapons have a wound threshold to determine if you wounded your target. The number of successes you need to wound your target reflect how easy it is to hurt someone in a signifigant degree with the weapon. Wound thresholds range from 1 to 4, with 4 being for non-lethal weapons like nets and snares, and 1 being for highly effective like short swords and axes.
   
   To find out if you wounded your target, you flip your Bod/Dex trait against the Wound threshold target. As for what happens when you hit but do no damage, I need a little more time to think on that one.

3. Combat

   #3

   Combat turns are 10 seconds long. It's a nice short number which leaves room for a bit of action but not too much. Each Combat turn, characters get to declare 1 complex and 2 simple actions. Complex actions are loosely defined as those needing most of a characters attention for most of the 10 seconds. Attacking, casting a spell, using a skill are all common examples of complex actions. Readying or reloading a weapon, using an item, droping something are all good examples of simple actions.
   
   When a weapon strikes but deals no damage, it still stuns the target enough they lose some or all of thier actions. Weapons with a wound threshold of 4 never do damage so cause no lost actions. Wound threshold 3 weapons make the target lose a simple action, Wound threshold 2 weapons take away the complex action, and wound threshold 1 weapons take away the complex action and 1 simple action.
   
   This way hits still affect targets, but not in a "you're gonna die" kind of way all the time. With a minimum of 1 simple action at thier disposal, characters can still try to manuever thier way out of combat by using skills, rather than be trapped and beat down.

4. Combat

   #4

   Ok, now for an example of combat. First one on one:
   
   Grugg and Kalera (thanks for 'volunteering' Ria) have been hired to stage a fight. Kalera enters the stage first and is greeted with some halfhearted cheers. Grugg enters and is booed and shouted at. They face off to each other and ready.
   
   Initiative Phase:
   
   Neither Grugg nor Kalera have a combat skill, so Initiative falls to thier weapons. Kalera has been loaned a sword for this fight and it has an Ready of 3. Grugg has a big rock. the Rock has a Ready of 2, since it's top heavy and mainly a thrown weapon. Kalera's sword is higher so her character gets to declare her actions last.
   
   Gurgg decides to throw his rock, and Kalera decides to get out of the way of the rock.
   
   To hit:
   
   Grugg's Weild Weapon is 0, due to a lack of dexterity. Kalera's Dodge skill is 2. Grugg misses. Alot.
   
   The rock flies off stage and breaks something out of sight. The crowd laughs. A new phase begins.
   
   Initiative is the same so Grugg declares his actions first. Now rock-less he tries to fight Kalera unarmed. Kalera, decides to hit him with the sword.
   
   To hit:
   
   Grugg's Unarmed Combat is 1, and Kalera's Weild Weapon is 2, but Grugg decides he's going to use one of his two Karma points to skip right to flipping. Grugg's Physical is 3 and so is Kalera's so they both flip a quarter. Grugg gets a head and Kalera gets a tail (simulated in real life) Grugg slips past Kalera's sword and smacks her.
   
   --- Oppsie Number 1: Unarmed damage ---
   
   I've spent about ten mintues thinking of a fix, but I gotta go. Kalera's bruising is postponed.

The Sixth World · All categories · Guildhall